Oyster recall: Salmonella contamination forces Canadian company to recall oysters

Tuesday, September 20, 2016 by: Vicki Batts
Tags: oysters, salmonella contamination, food safety

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(NaturalNews) Hopefully you weren't planning on having a romantic oyster dinner anytime soon. Despite their reputation for being an aphrodisiac, oysters may not be the best choice for any upcoming dates you might be planning.The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recently detected Salmonella in oysters distributed by Atlantic Shellfish Products, Inc. Following such revelations, the company has announced a massive recall of their products.

Fortunately, no illnesses have been reported in connection with the contaminated oysters since the notice was posted, according to Food Safety News. Officials are not sure if the oysters were distributed nationwide or just to the Canadian province of Quebec. The recall notice stated: "Consumers should not consume and retailers, restaurants and institutions should not sell or use the recalled products described below. Check to see if you have recalled products in your home. Recalled products should be thrown out or returned to the store where they were purchased."

The notice also points out that food contaminated with Salmonella may not look or smell spoiled, but that doesn't mean it can't make you sick.

According to the CDC, most people who contract a Salmonella infection will begin to experience symptoms anywhere between 12 and 72 hours after contact with the bacteria. Diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever are the most common symptoms of Salmonella infection, and usually persist for about four to seven days. Most people can recover from Salmonella infections on their own, but some may require hospitalization if symptoms are severe. The CDC estimates that about 1.2 million people are infected with Salmonella poisoning each year, and that about 450 people die annually from the infectious bacteria. Food-borne illnesses such as salmonella are particularly dangerous to elderly individuals and young children. Pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems are also more susceptible to infection.

A number of different items from Atlantic Shellfish Products were recalled. If you have purchased oysters from the company recently, please check out this list of recalled products. If you have purchased a product on the list, make sure you don't eat it, and return it to the point of purchase.

Amazingly enough, Atlantic Shellfish is not the only Canadian fishery to experience a salmonella outbreak this year. Five Star Shellfish, a company based on Prince Edward Island, also experienced a Salmonella outbreak just a few days prior to the bacteria being detected in Atlantic Shellfish's oysters. Five Star Shellfish released a recall on their "large standard oysters" and their "mixed oysters" on August 23, 2016. Oysters being recalled by the company should display a harvest date of August 13, 2016, and are sold in 100-piece packages.

It is rather concerning that multiple fisheries in Canada have been experiencing Salmonella outbreaks in their oysters. Some studies have suggested that monitoring oysters may be an effective and affordable way to gauge human impact on the environment. If this is the case, perhaps these Canadian oysters are trying to tell us something about the water supply. Regardless, it would seem that oysters and other such seafood may not be the best dinner choice for the time being.

While it might certainly make for quite a memorable experience, food poisoning is probably not the best way to end an evening. Regardless of whether you are going out or preparing a fancy dinner at home, do yourself a favor: skip the oysters.

Sources:

FoodSafetyNews.com

CDC.gov

UndercurrentNews.com

Phys.org