The FDA is warning restaurants and consumers to avoid oysters from Groton, Connecticut harvest area because they may be contaminated. The notice did not state which pathogen may be affecting the oysters. The states that received the oysters include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The oysters may have been further distributed from these states.
The oysters from Groton Approved area in Connecticut that were harvested from August 28, 2023 through August 30, 2023 are subject to this warning. The dealers that sold the oysters are CT-393-SS, AQ, CT-004-SS, AQ, and CT-020-SS, AQ. The oysters have the lot codes L-30 and L-26B1.
On August 31, 2023, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Aquaculture initiated an emergency precautionary closure of two approved harvest areas and recalled the oysters harvested from 8/28/2023 through 8/30/2023 due to what they called “poor sample results.” The oysters were distributed to Pangea in Massachusetts; Lockwood and Winant Seafood, Montauk Seafood, and Bronx Fish in New York; Samuels and Sons Seafood in Pennsylvania; CT Shellfish, Gulf Shrimp, Cityline, and Seawell in Connecticut; and Sam Rust in Maryland, according to the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.
That area will remain closed until the source of the contamination is identified and corrected, and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture has collected acceptable sample results to reopen it. The FDA is waiting for more information on the distribution of the oysters and is monitoring the investigation.
In the past, oysters have been contaminated with everything from norovirus to Vibrio to Salmonella and sapovirus. It is safer to eat oysters that have been thoroughly cooked, especially if you are in a group with a high risk for serious complications from food poisoning.
Consumers who ate these oysters and who have symptoms of food poisoning should contact their doctor. You can report an illness by contacting the FDA through their MedWatch Reporting System.
