FDA Alert Date: June 12, 2024
The FDA is advising restaurants and food retailers not to serve or sell and to dispose of oysters from Dailyfresh Shellfish, Inc., with lot # 240531JM harvested from Subarea 23-10 in British Columbia (BC), Canada on 5/30/2024 because they may be contaminated with paralytic shellfish toxins (PST).These oysters were primarily distributed in California, but may have been distributed to other states as well.
Food containing PSTs may look, smell, and taste normal. These toxins cannot be removed by cooking or freezing. Restaurants and retailers should dispose of any products by throwing them in the garbage or contacting their distributor for return and destruction.
Molluscan shellfish contaminated with natural toxins from the water in which they lived can cause consumer illness. One of the recognized natural toxin poisoning syndromes that can occur from consuming contaminated molluscan shellfish is paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Most people with PSP will begin to develop symptoms within 30 minutes of consuming contaminated seafood. Effects of PSP intoxication can range from tingling of the lips, mouth, and tongue to respiratory paralysis and may include these other symptoms: numbness of arms and legs, “pins and needles” sensation, weakness, loss of muscle coordination, floating feeling, nausea, shortness of breath, dizziness, vomiting, and headache. In fatal cases, death is typically due to asphyxiation.
Consumers of these products who are experiencing symptoms of illness should contact their healthcare provider and report their symptoms to their local Health Department. Due to the range in severity of illness, people should consult their healthcare provider if they suspect that they have developed symptoms that resemble paralytic shellfish poisoning.
