Warm Weather And Raw Oysters Don't Mix

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Nov 11th 2009 at 2:01AM

Oyster lovers in the deep South are fuming over a potential FDA policy that would require Gulf Coast oysters harvested in April through October to be treated before sale for raw consumption. While the FDA says it is trying to prevent deaths to the potential consumption of deadly bacteria, restaurant owners and oyster lovers says that the government is nosing in where it doesn't belong.

Oysters are a huge part of life in Louisiana. Fresh oysters on the half shell eaten at the raw bar aren't just a delicacy but a tradition. But the FDA says that 15 people each year die from the Vibrio vulnificus bacteria and warm weather oysters are more likely to carry this deadly bacteria. Oysters can be treated with a bacteria-fighting technology but critics of the policy, which would go into effect in 2011, say that the treatments are expensive and there are too few of the oyster treating machines in place in the area. The price of treated oysters could skyrocket.

There is also a fear that the sterilized oysters don't have the same intensity of flavor as the untreated ones. Methods including soaking the oysters in hot and cold water baths, using a water pressure treatment, freezing or even irradiation. The FDA says that oysters treated with all these methods are safe to eat but all the processes except irradiation kill the oyster which takes away a bit of the naughty thrill of eating live shellfish.

Oysters are important to the Louisiana economy. Around 3,500 people are employed in the industry in the state. The LA Times reports that it has a $318-million annual impact on the economy and provides a third of the nation's oysters. Federal officials have said that Louisiana can regulate what goes on within its own state, the FDA only regulates food that passes over state lines.

Those who have seen the deadly effect of the vibrio bacteria feel that the raw oyster ban is a simple and necessary precaution but it's hard to convince the shuckers and longterm consumers of the need to change what they have always done.

Tags: fda, louisiana, oysters, shuckers

Filed under: Dining

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Raw Oyster Alert Nov 11th 2009 1:47PM

I would rather kill the raw oyster than have the raw oyster kill ME! Seriously, I think some priorities are entirely out of line here. It is proven that 15 people die a year from eating raw oysters, and there is a proven method of making raw oysters safe for consumption. However, the oyster industry is screaming that it will affect them economically.

Are we really arguing that economics is more important than the lives of 15 people each year?

My father was one of those 15 people that died in 2007 from eating raw oysters. Seriously... is money worth more than human life? Is that honestly what people are claiming?

California passed a state law to protect consumers from eating raw oysters and since they have done that ZERO individuals have died. It is proven that it is possible to make raw oysters safe for all consumers.

Stop blaming the victims and start putting the blame where it belongs -- on the contaminated oysters!

Make our oysters safe!!!

terryrk Dec 11th 2009 6:48AM

Raw Oyster Alert,

You have my deepest sympathies for the loss of your beloved Father. However, would you shut down air travel, if your Dad lost his life in a commercial airline crash? My Dad suffered a debilitating stroke last year, during what should have been routine heart surgery. Should I demand that all heart surgery cease? I think not!

Concerning the oyster industry, you have no clue what you are talking about! You are advocating ripping jobs away from thousands of people who have been in this industry for years!

There are a couple of oyster processors that will provide you with a dead, pasturized oyster, with a rubber band to hold it closed, if that's what you are looking for. I suggest that you seek those out, and let the rest of us take our chances.