Legislators to fight FDA on gulf oysters

November 10, 6:30 AMLafayette Cooking ExaminerCurt Guillory

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The Food and Drug Administration is getting opposed
Wiki Commons

Lawmakers from Louisiana and Florida are taking a hard stand against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where raw oysters are concerned.

Bi-partisan opposition

According to a Washington Times article, Lawmakers fight raw-oyster ban under FDA rule, Democrat Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, Republican Sen. David Vitter and Florida Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson have joined forces to introduce legislation that would block funding for a 2011 FDA program designed to eliminate the serving of raw oysters by having harvesters treat them using one of several methods which would essentially cook them.

A recent article by this Examiner, Louisiana’s seafood industry braces for another hit--now oysters are the target, illustrated the danger to Louisiana’s raw oyster industry would certainly collapse of the FDA’s new guidelines are allowed to take effect.

The legislators are attempting to cut funding for the program citing it is unnecessary because the rate of death and or illness from eating raw oysters is negligible according to statistics the Washington Times article went on to say.

Emphasizing that point the Washington Times quoted Senator Nelson as saying, “This is government out of control. This is government trying to kill a gnat with a sledgehammer.”

A non-emergency

Louisiana’s Senator Landrieu was also quoted by the article as saying, “The FDA has bigger fish to fry…Imposing burdensome federal regulations that may take away 3,500 much-needed jobs in Louisiana is not the answer.”

The Senator was referring to the high rate of incidence of other food borne illnesses. Indeed she is correct. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in a report, Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol. 5, No. 5, “To better quantify the impact of foodborne diseases on health in the United States, we compiled and analyzed information from multiple surveillance systems and other sources. We estimate that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths. Three pathogens, Salmonella, Listeria, and Toxoplasma, are responsible for 1,500 deaths each year, more than 75% of those caused by known pathogens, while unknown agents account for the remaining 62 million illnesses, 265,000 hospitalizations, and 3,200 deaths.”

Of the 1800 deaths stated above 0.83 percent are related to eating raw oysters. Fifteen deaths are attributed to Vibrio vulnificus per year according to the FDA. Vibrio vulnificus is the bacteria which is contracted from eating raw oysters.

Support for the legislation

Other legislators are showing support for the bill reports the Washington Times story, “Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, likely will raise concerns about the raw-oyster ban and consider singing on to the bill to cut funding for it.”

You can take action

SaveOurShellfish.org is a website which is dedicated to collecting 50,000 online signatures. Readers of this column are encouraged to visit, read, and sign the petition.

Stay hungry.

Sources:
www.washingtontimes.com
www.examiner.com
www.fda.gov
www.cdc.gov

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