Sea Win Frozen Half Shell Oysters are being recalled in California for possible norovirus contamination, according to a press release by the California Department of Public Health. There have been illnesses reported, but there are no further details about the number of people sickened, where they ate the oysters, illness onset dates, the patent age range, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. The recalling firm is Sea Win, Inc. of Los Angeles, California.
The oysters were harvested in Korea and were distributed in California, at the retail level and also at restaurants. The harvest dates for the oysters were 1/30/24 and 02/04/24. The Sea Win frozen half shell oysters have the code KR 7 SP.
Oysters are filter feeders, which means that they take in water and filter out nutrients, but they can also filter out pathogens such as norovirus and bacteria. Then when the oysters are eaten lightly cooked or uncooked, they can make people sick.
People who have compromised immune systems, the elderly, the very young, pregnant women, and anyone with a chronic illness should not eat raw oysters for this reason. Most people recover from norovirus infections without medical treatment, but some people can get sick enough, usually from dehydration, to require hospitalization.
If ou purchased these oysters, do not eat them. You can throw them away in a secure trash can with a tight fitting lid after first double bagging them, or you can take them back to the store where you bought them for a full refund.
