Cooked Vannamei Shrimp from Vietnam: Specifications for Importers

Cooked vannamei is Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) that has been cooked through, chilled and quick frozen, so the buyer only thaws and serves it. Importers use it for foodservice, retail trays and party rings. A workable specification covers six things: form, count, cook, freezing, glaze and packing, plus the documents for the destination.

Which cooked forms can you order?

Vietnamese processors cook vannamei in four main forms. Each one suits a different channel, so the form usually decides the rest of the spec.

• Cooked HOSO (head-on, shell-on): whole shrimp, graded per kilo. Asian foodservice, hot pot and buffet lines buy it for presentation.
• CPD (cooked, peeled and deveined, tail off): the working form for salads, pasta, fried rice and ready meals.
• CPTO (cooked, peeled, deveined, tail-on): cocktails, platters and appetizers, where the tail serves as a handle.
• Shrimp ring: CPTO arranged on a retail tray around a cocktail sauce cup, built for supermarket chillers and holiday sales.

TBESFOOD supplies all four. Specifications and photos for each are on the cooked vannamei shrimp page.

How are cooked shrimp sized?

A count is the number of pieces per unit of weight, so 31/40 means 31 to 40 shrimp in each pound or kilo. Cooked HOSO is normally graded per kilo. CPD and CPTO are graded per pound for North American buyers and per kilo or per pound elsewhere. TBESFOOD packs cooked CPD and CPTO from 16/20 up to 100/200 pieces per pound.

Cooking drives out moisture, so each shrimp weighs less after it is cooked and the count per pound goes up. Say in the contract whether the count is measured before or after cooking. Our guide to shrimp count sizes has the full per-pound and per-kilo conversion table.

What should the cooking and freezing step deliver?

Every shrimp must be cooked through, with no translucent raw meat left in the thickest segment. Australia builds this into its import conditions. Cooked prawns imported there must be frozen, appear fully cooked and reach a core temperature of at least 65°C.

After cooking, the shrimp are chilled fast and individually quick frozen (IQF). Under the Codex standard for quick frozen shrimps and prawns (CXS 92-1981), freezing is complete only when the thermal centre reaches -18°C or colder after the temperature has stabilised. The same standard requires the label to say whether the product is raw, partially cooked or cooked.

Cooked shrimp is a ready-to-eat food. Buyers set microbiological limits in the specification, typically for Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, E. coli and coagulase-positive staphylococci, matched to the food law of the destination market.

Glaze and net weight

A thin ice glaze protects frozen shrimp from dehydration and freezer burn in storage. Codex is clear on how it is declared: when a product is glazed, the net contents on the label exclude the glaze.

Agree one of two options in the purchase order:

• A stated glaze percentage, with the net weight printed after deglazing.
• 100% net weight, where the declared weight is all shrimp and the glaze is added on top.

TBESFOOD produces to either standard, including 100% net weight.

Packing options

Cooked vannamei ships in IQF retail bags or boxes, in bulk master cartons for foodservice, and on ring trays. The inner pack should carry the species name, the word "cooked", the count, the net weight, the frozen storage instruction and Vietnam as country of origin. Retail packs follow the label law of the market of sale, which the importer normally supplies as artwork.

Full containers move in 40 ft reefers on FOB, CFR or CIF terms.

Documents importers ask for

• A health certificate from Vietnam's competent authority for each consignment.
• A certificate of origin. Vietnam's trade agreements, including CPTPP, RCEP, EVFTA, UKVFTA and AANZFTA, can cut or remove import duty when the right form is issued.
• Packing list, commercial invoice and bill of lading.
• Laboratory reports agreed in the specification.
• Plant approvals for the market, such as an EU establishment code. TBESFOOD's approvals and certificates are listed on the Quality page.

Specification checklist

1. Species and form: Litopenaeus vannamei, cooked HOSO, CPD, CPTO or ring.
2. Count, unit (per pound or per kilo) and whether measured before or after cooking.
3. Cooking standard, including any core temperature the destination requires.
4. Freezing: IQF, product core at -18°C or colder.
5. Glaze percentage or 100% net weight.
6. Treatment: chemical-free, or the additives you accept.
7. Microbiological limits and the laboratory that tests them.
8. Inner pack, master carton, labels and cartons per container.
9. Documents, certificate of origin and plant approvals.
10. Incoterm, port of discharge and shipment window.

Frequently asked questions

Is cooked vannamei ready to eat?

Yes. It is fully cooked before freezing. Thaw it under refrigeration and serve it cold, or heat it briefly in a hot dish.

What is the difference between CPD and CPTO?

Both are cooked, peeled and deveined. CPD has the tail removed; CPTO keeps the tail fan on for presentation.

Can TBESFOOD pack shrimp rings under our brand?

Yes. We pack cooked vannamei to the buyer's specification and artwork, from bulk cartons to retail rings. Send us your specification and target count for a quotation.

Sources

• Codex Alimentarius, Standard for Quick Frozen Shrimps or Prawns, CXS 92-1981 https://www.fao.org/input/download/standards/107/CXS_092e.pdf
• Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, final report for the prawn import risk review (ABA 2023-A06) https://agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/aba-2023-a06-final-report-for-the-prawn.pdf