The Obama administration’s War on Oysters has hit a snag. New FDA rules that would have dramatically increased oyster prices and ruined the quality of Gulf Coast oysters during much of the year have been put on hold indefinitely after a massive outcry by oyster lovers and harvesters.
The new rules, which would have required special processing for oysters from the Gulf of Mexico, were intended to prevent a disease that affects 30 people who eat raw oysters and causes 15 deaths annually. The infection, vibrio vulnificus, nearly always affects people with diabetes or pre-existing immunity problems, who shouldn’t be eating raw foods anyway.
In order to eliminate an infinitesimal risk from oysters in the Gulf of Mexico, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg planned to require oysters farmed between April and October be put through a process that completely ruins their flavor, according to the experts I consulted while writing about this a few weeks back. FDA had decided it wasn’t enough to require warnings (or simply to count on people using common sense when choosing what to eat).
Now the issue will be put to a new government study. (Nothing like a government study to make sure nothing happens.)
