SMELLS FISHY

Walmart Shopper Files Lawsuit Over Shrimp Scrimping

The grocery store chain just paid $45 million to customers in a separate food-weight lawsuit.

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A Walmart shopper is suing the retail and grocery giant, alleging it used less shrimp than advertised. Elijah Bapitsit said Walmart’s frozen shrimp packages have up to 11 percent less shrimp than advertised once ice is removed. The Illinois resident has bought the same bag of shrimp regularly for about three years and, according to the lawsuit, was disappointed when he opened a new one for a party. The suit explains that if Baptist bought 6 pounds for a party of 10, he would have lost about 15 shrimp, or $5. The seafood lover said he wouldn’t have bought the bags if he’d known the actual amount. A Walmart spokesperson said the company has “policies in place” to ensure suppliers correctly label their products, but did not mention a $45 million settlement to customers over another food-weight lawsuit that compensated people who purchased weighted goods or bagged citrus between October 2018 and January 2024. “We are reviewing the complaint and will respond in court,” the spokesperson concluded. “Glazing,” a common practice in which producers coat products with water to protect raw shellfish, may be the culprit, adding weight and ultimately inflating seafood prices. But it shouldn’t count toward the net product amount, and manufacturers can be criminally liable for failing to do so.