The Intershell Promise: 100% Chemical-Free Seafood

Our Promise: If We Touch It, It’s Pure

Whether you are a wholesale chef looking for the best catch for your restaurant or a home cook ordering through our ecommerce store, our promise remains the same.

Every piece of seafood that comes off our own boats or from our local partners is processed and frozen without a single additive. In fact, we do not even keep chemicals in our warehouse. We can’t treat our seafood with chemicals because we don't allow them on the premises. We believe in protecting the natural integrity of seafood straight from the ocean.

The FDA Loophole: What You Aren't Being Told

Many consumers feel safe because of FDA labeling laws, but there is a catch. Under current guidelines, if a seafood product is treated with certain chemicals and holds less than 80%  of the chemical within it, companies are not legally required to disclose it on the label.  This means even other seafood markets or companies may be purchasing what they think is "all natural" seafood, but it is not.  

This means you could be eating "treated" seafood while the label says nothing at all. We find this misleading, and we refuse to participate in it.

There is also a "Overnight" process some companies do as well. This means that the seafood is soaked overnight in the chemical solution, so that to the naked consumer eye, it becomes almost indetectable that it is treated. Only seafood experts that are well experienced (like Intershell) are able to instantly tell when seafood is treated. Even if it is minimal.

The "Big Two" Chemicals: STPP and Altessa

In the seafood world, two chemicals are used to treat seafood to prolong the seafoods shelf life and also increase the water weight. Here is why we stay far away from them:

• Altessa: This is the industry’s "secret weapon." Because it is a citrus-based chemical, companies often market it as "all-natural." But don’t be fooled—it is still a chemical treatment used to alter the seafood’s shelf life and appearance.
• STPP (Sodium Tripolyphosphate): This is used to make seafood absorb more water. It makes the product heavier (so you pay more for water weight) and gives it a glossy, milky shiny appearance. People mistaken this as "freshness" but it is all chemicals.

Intershell handles & processes a wide variety of species—clams, lobsters, scallops, and fish. Each one is handled with care to ensure the flavor and texture you experience is exactly what nature intended, right from the ocean straight to your plate.  We have never treated any of our seafood with any chemical, it does not matter which species or whether it is fresh or frozen.

Here's Why Natural Seafood Matters

When you cook chemical-free seafood, you’ll notice the difference immediately.  There is less water, no strange odor, and no loss in size. Our scallops sear to a perfect golden brown because they aren't "leaking" added water. Our fish tastes like the ocean, not a preservative.

We stand by our integrity so you can trust your dinner.