The FDA is warning restaurants, retailers, and consumers to not serve or eat certain frozen raw half shell Korean oysters because they may be contaminated with norovirus. The oysters were harvested on January 30, 2025 from harvest area Designated Area 1 in the Republic of Korea (ROK). There are illnesses associated with the consumption of these oysters.
The oysters were distributed to the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Washington and may have been distributed to other states. These oysters were recalled by the importer, Khee Trading Inc. of Compton, California on May 19, 2025. The California Department of Public Health notified the FDA about the outbreak on May 19, 2025.
The photo is a reference as an example of a product label that would be included on cartons of oysters with lot code B250130. The oysters were processed by JBR KR-15-SP in Tongyeong-si, ROK.
The FDA is advising restaurants not to serve, and consumers not to eat, these frozen, raw, half-shell oysters. Shellfish that are filter feeders can collect pathogens such as norovirus and those pathogens can concentrate in the flesh. Then when the oysters are eaten without being cooked first, people can get sick.
If you ate these oysters and have been ill with the symptoms of norovirus, which include vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea, see your doctor. This illness can lead to dehydration and cause serious illness among vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and anyone with a chronic health condition. No information about the number of patients, their age range, illness onset dates, or hospitalizations was included in this notice.
