The FDA has put on hold its plans to ban the sale of raw oysters harvested during the warm months of the year after criticism from oystermen and legislators from oyster-harvesting states. The FDA said it would continue to study the issue: oysters tainted with bacteria kill 15 Americans each year.
Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.), who is going after Senator David Vitter's seat, said that 15 people was a "pretty reasonable" number of people to allow to die given the size of the U.S.
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it will conduct further studies before implementing a plan to ban raw, untreated Gulf Coast oysters during months when they are most likely to be infected with a harmful bacterium.
The plan had sparked outcry from Southern politicians who feared it would devastate the regional industry.
The FDA proposal, set to take effect by summer 2011, was an attempt to prevent the 15 deaths on average that occur in the United States each year from the consumption of raw oysters infected with the bacterium Vibrio vulnificus.
A number of post-harvest treatments have been developed to kill Vibrio, but some aficionados say treatment defiles the taste of a classic and simple culinary experience.
Many in the oyster industry also said that the treatment equipment is prohibitively expensive for the mom-and-pop oyster processors that dot the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas. Few companies are equipped with the treatment technology.
On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the FDA came in for stinging criticism from Democrats and Republicans who said they worried about the effect the April-to-October ban would have on an industry that supports 3,500 jobs.
The White House hasn't given up, though. The FDA is meeting with other agencies to see if there is a way to help smaller oystermen afford the equipment that can heat or freeze the raw oysters to kill the bacteria before they are sold. But that is unlikely to go anywhere, and opponents of the ban say freezing or heating ruins the texture of the raw oysters.
Congress Goes to War With FDA Over Warm Water Raw Oyster Ban
The FDA is going to ban
the sale of raw oysters harvested from the Gulf Coast during the warm months. Oystermen oppose the ban, but the FDA says it's necessary to stop people dying from contaminated oysters. The majority of cases of illness come from Gulf Coast oysters that have been harvested during warm weather. Warm water makes bacteria flourish in oysters and each year 15 people die a horrible death from
ingesting the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. Congressmen from southern states opposed the ban, but the White House is standing firm....so far.
Eating shellfish raw is risky since they can be infected with both viral and bacterial contaminants. The bacteria Vibrio vulnificus is commonly present in oysters, but warm water can lead the bacteria to grow rapidly, so the riskiest oysters come from the Gulf of Mexico during the summer months.
Most people can eat raw oysters contaminated with vibrio without problem. Those with compromised immune systems -- some of whom do not even know they have health issues -- are at gravest risk.
Two-thirds of the nation's oysters are harvested from the Gulf Coast and about 40 percent of them are harvested during warm months. Half of Gulf Coast oysters are eaten raw, but they are largely eaten in the South. Many upscale seafood restaurants north of the Mason-Dixon line refuse to carry Gulf Coast oysters.
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Ms. Bourgeois is Cajun, and her father, James Sartwell, had been eating raw oysters all of his life. Two years ago, he fell ill after eating raw oysters on his 60th birthday at an upscale restaurant near Baton Rouge, La.
His illness, Vibrio vulnificus, blackened and blistered his skin so badly that nurses wrapped his legs and arms in gauze. He suffered terribly before he died, as most victims of the illness do.
"They know that in 2010, 15 people will die like my father did even though there's a surefire way to prevent that?" Ms. Bourgeois asked. "I can't believe that's not illegal. Of course the F.D.A. should step in."
Some Gulf Coast oyster producers process their oysters either by freezing, pressuring, irradiating or slightly cooking them to kill the bacteria. Among them is AmeriPure Oyster Company based in Franklin, La., which sells over 20 millions oysters annually that have been bathed in water heated to 126 degrees.
Processing kills the oysters but not their taste, said Pat Fahey, AmeriPure's co-owner.
"We believe this is the future of the Gulf Coast oyster industry," Mr. Fahey said.
The two sides feel quite strongly about the issue. Those who oppose the ban say that the government is going too far to save 15 lives each year. Others point the fact that others get ill from the oysters, but don't die. And still others say that the answer is pasteurization on site. Raw oysters also can be contaminated with Hepatitis A, if they are found in polluted water.
Right now legislators are crafting legislation to stop the FDA's implementation of the rule.
Food and Wine's Gail Simmons shares her knowledge of food-related aphrodisiacs with Maggie Rodriguez and Julie Chen. We miss Gail on Project Runway. Gail discusses oysters, honey, honeycomb, caviar, chilis, avocados and chocolate. She says these foods contain the nutrients that help you get in the mood. Gail also shares some historical insights into how these foods become known as aphrodisiacs. Take a look:
Sandy Ingber, executive chef at the Grand Central Oyster Bar, teaches how to properly choose and shuck an oyster. He has some great suggestions such as using a towel so you don't cut yourself with the knife.
