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U.S. Food and Drug Administration Warns Consumers Not to Eat Raw Oysters
January 2, 2008
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to eat raw oysters harvested from West Karako Bay, a section of Growing Area 3 in Louisiana. These oysters, harvested from December 3 through December 21, may be contaminated with norovirus. The original harvester was Prestige Oyster LA 1988SS who sold the suspect product to Bon Secour Fisheries AL 49SP in Alabama.
Consumers who ate raw oysters on or after December 3 and experienced symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramping are encouraged to contact their local health care providers and local health departments. Consumers concerned about the origin of oysters they have recently purchased should contact the place of purchase to determine if the oysters were harvested from the identified area during the December 3-21 period.
The suspect oysters could reach Connecticut consumers if they were purchased from dealers not licensed by the CT Department of Agriculture or were purchased out of state at the retail level. The CT Department of Agriculture/Bureau of Aquaculture has phoned all CT licensed shellfish wholesale dealers. None of the Connecticut dealers purchased oysters from the two companies noted or from the suspect harvest area.
Cooking destroys the virus, eliminating the risk of illness for both healthy and immunocompromised individuals. FDA advises that it's always best to cook seafood thoroughly to minimize the risk of foodbourne illness.
For further information contact the FDA Food Safety Hotline at 1-888-SAFEFOOD, the Department of Agriculture/Bureau of Aquaculture at 203-874-0696, or visit the FDA's web site.
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