The Louisiana Oyster industry made headlines this week after two deaths in Florida were linked to raw oysters from the Bayou State. Oyster Task Force Chairman Mitch Jurisich confirms the oysters involved were from Louisiana, and a thorough investigation is underway.
“What we don’t want is to try to speculate what happened, we want to get the facts first because anytime there’s an illness comes from eating oysters, especially from Louisiana, it does hurt our business,” said Jurisich.
Jurisich said before anyone jumps to conclusions about Louisiana oysters, he wants to see what the investigation reveals and that food safety procedures were followed correctly.
“Our hearts go out to the family members. There’s a lot of things that go on with oysters, so we have to investigate every avenue, refrigeration, and everything to be sure that processes and everything was handled properly,” said Jurisich.
The CDC said on average 80,000 people will get ill from eating raw oysters and about 100 will die as a result each year. Restaurants do have signs warning patrons of the risks of eating raw shellfish. Jurisich said individuals with immune disorders and those who are pregnant should avoid consuming raw oysters.
“Some people are at high risk if they eat any raw shellfish. So, it’s all these things that come into play that we have to get out there, want to get our facts together,” said Jurisich.
He expects more information to be released once the medical examiner’s report and cause of death are determined.
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