| Harvesting |
Chicken of the Sea premium farm-raised
Shrimp are harvested from ponds. Shrimp are immediately packed
in ice to preserve freshness and delivered to the processing facility. |
| Receiving |
Shrimp arrive at the processing facility
and are immediately placed in a staging cooler. The temperature
in this cooler is held close to freezing to keep the shrimp as fresh
as possible. |
| Grading |
Shrimp are then graded, which refers to the process of examining
the shrimp for size and quality prior to processing. Shrimp
not meeting our stringent quality specifications are rejected.
|
| Processing |
Shrimp is processed to meet a variety
of consumer and customer needs. Common product forms are; shell-on,
raw peeled & deveined (tail-on or tail-off) and cooked, peeled & deveined
(tail-on or tail off.) Each facility has lines designed specifically
to process shrimp according to these product formats. Shrimp
are generally processed by hand. |
| Cooking |
For added convenience, some frozen
shrimp are sold pre-cooked. Shrimp are steamed cooked to specific
temperatures and cook times and are then cooled quickly to maintain
quality. |
| Freezing |
After grading, processing and/or
cooking, shrimp are sent through a quick-freezing tunnel. This
process is known as IQF (individually quick frozen). |
| Packing/Sealing |
After freezing, shrimp are immediately placed in packaging. Packaging
is sealed and packed in master cases and immediately delivered
to a cold storage warehouse.
|
| Finished Product Evaluation |
Samples of each finished production code receive qualitative and
quantitative evaluations
prior to being released for shipment. Specific attributes that
are evaluated include color, flavor, smell, texture and workmanship.
|
| Shipping |
Finished product is shipped to our
customers. |