logo
  • Our Story
    • 25th Anniversary
  • Products
    • Frozen Fillets
    • Frozen Nuggets
  • Our Catfish
  • Recipes
  • Blog
  • Wholesale
    • Retail
    • Food Service
    • About Heartland
    • Our Processing Facility
    • Product Offerings
      • Fillets
      • Splits
      • Strips
      • Nuggets
      • Whole
      • Hand-Breaded Style Portion Fillets
      • Hand-Breaded Style 3-5oz Fillets
    • Company News
  • Contact
logo
Heartland Catfish
Prev
0
Heartland Catfish Pecandine
07 April 2020
Next
Heartland Catfish Logo 0
Statement from Heartland Catfish Company: Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19
16 April 2020
News
What Does U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish Really Mean?

As a consumer, you’re looking at labels often – so what does U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish really mean when you see it on a menu or in the seafood department at the grocery store? Catfish is becoming more and more popular everywhere from high-end restaurants to local grocery stores, but not all catfish is created equally. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon to see imported catfish masquerading as high-quality catfish.

What’s the difference? Imported catfish is raised without as many regulations, and it’s more likely to contain toxins and higher levels of heavy metal, such as mercury. U.S. farm-raised catfish production, however, is strictly regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for safety and has low toxin levels. U.S. farm-raised catfish are also protected from groundwater pollution because they live in man-made agricultural catfish ponds, which ensures safety for the fish and ultimately the consumer.

From egg to harvest, U.S. farm-raised catfish are raised under controlled conditions in man-made ponds with minimal use of antibiotics and other chemicals to treat for disease. The catfish are fed floating food from the time they are sac fry, which is the life stage once they hatch, until they are harvested. This floating food teaches the fish to look for food at the top of the pond rather than the bottom, keeping them from looking for food sources elsewhere that could potentially alter the mild flavor of the catfish.

Heartland’s U.S. farm-raised catfish are fed a high-protein, grain-based floating feed that is made from crop-derived ingredients, and it contains no added hormones or antibiotics. This allows the catfish to consistently maintain a mellow and clean flavor palette. Before harvest, each pond must pass a stringent quality and flavor test. After the quality test is passed, the pond is ready for harvest.

Once at the harvesting facility, the fish are cleaned, filleted, trimmed and packed in a state-of-the-art facility. The packaged fish are then stored in coolers and freezers until they are loaded onto trucks for shipping, ensuring the freshness of the fish is maintained through delivery. This process is stringently regulated by the USDA and other agencies as well, making sure the consumer is protected throughout every stage of producing catfish.

U.S. farm-raised catfish is rated as a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. It’s sustainable, responsibly farmed and delicious, so make sure to look for catfish that you can trust when picking out the next meal for your family.

heartland-catfish

Categories

  • Appetizers
  • Baked
  • Entrees
  • Fried
  • Grilled
  • Salads
  • Sandwiches
  • Sauteéd
  • Soups

Search For A Recipe

CONTACT:
(662) 254-7100
info@heartlandcatfish.com
ADDRESS:
55001 Highway 82 West
Itta Bena, Mississippi 38941 US
Image icon
USCatfish Logo
Small Heartland Catfish logo

Heartland Catfish Company is committed to supplying our customers with the highest quality U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish products by offering outstanding customer service, at the best value. Our commitment is exhibited in our strict quality standards, state-of-the-art processing facilities and our experienced team.

© 2025 Heartland Catfish – Website Built and Maintained by TRINDGROUP

Employee Portal          Resources          Privacy Policy          Contact Us

logo
This site uses cookies to improve your experience. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT