FDA announces recall of oysters sold in Illinois, other states due to norovirus concerns

CHICAGO (CBS) — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday warned stores and restaurants around the country not to sell or serve oysters from British Columbia, Canada, that may be contaminated with the norovirus.

Illinois was among the states where the oysters were sold. They were also sold in Arizona, California, Colorado, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

The oysters were sold as Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay, and Royal Miyagi.

The oysters were harvested between Dec. 1 and Dec. 9 from growing areas BC 14-8, Landfiles (LF) # 1413888, 1409240, 1402294, 1409454, 1402193, 1402293, 1402060, and growing area BC 14-15, LF # 249854.

Symptoms of norovirus include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach cramps. A fever may also develop.

Restaurants and retailers that have the oysters should throw them away, or return them to their distributor to be destroyed. The FDA also advised that shellfish can be a source of pathogens more generally, and the risk of cross-contamination of food processing equipment and the food processing environment must be averted.