Audience
- Restaurants and food retailers that have received shipments of frozen raw oysters, in half shell, Individual Quick Freezing (IQF), and block form, harvested between 2/10/2022 and 2/24/2022 and on 4/13/2022 and 4/14/2022 from Designated Area No. II, and exported by Dai One Food Co., Ltd., Republic of Korea (ROK).
- Consumers, especially those who are or could become pregnant, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems, who have recently consumed raw oysters in Hawaii, Georgia, or Minnesota and suspect they have food poisoning should seek medical care immediately.
Product
- Frozen oysters harvested between 2/10/2022 and 2/24/2022 and on 4/13/2022 and 4/14/2022 from Designated Area No. II, Dai One Food Co., Ltd., ROK. The oysters were shipped from the ROK and distributed in Hawaii, Georgia, and Minnesota.
- The Korean firm has voluntarily recalled frozen raw half shell oysters, frozen IQF oysters, and frozen oyster blocks harvested from Designated Area II harvest area between 2/10/2022 and 2/24/2022 and on 4/13/2022 and 4/14/2022 including lot numbers D021031, D021041, and D020481.
Purpose
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to eat, as well as restaurants along with food retailers not to sell, and to dispose of Dai One Food Co., Ltd., frozen raw half shell, IQF, and block form oysters with harvest dates between 2/10/2022 and 2/24/2022 and 4/13/2022 and 4/14/2022 from Designated Area No. II and sold in Hawaii, Georgia, and Minnesota.
Summary of Problem and Scope
The Hawaii Department of Health notified the FDA of five illnesses from individuals who consumed raw oyster shooters at a restaurant in Hawaii on 5/10/23. Traceback information revealed the source for the implicated raw oysters was from a shipment by Dai One Food Co., Ltd., ROK, harvested on 4/13/2022 and 4/14/2022 from Designated Area No. II. Samples collected from the 04/14/2022 harvest date were tested for the presence of norovirus. Norovirus GII was detected in one of the two samples collected. Further traceback information identified shipments from Dai One Food Co., Ltd., ROK of oysters harvested on 4/13 2022 and 4/14/2022 from Designated Area No. II were also distributed to Georgia.
In addition, the Minnesota Department of Health notified the FDA of five norovirus illnesses from individuals who consumed raw oysters at a restaurant in Minnesota on 6/3/2023 and 6/4/2023. Traceback information revealed the source for the implicated raw oysters was from a shipment by Dai One Food Co., Ltd., ROK, harvested between 2/10/2022 and 2/24/2022 in Designated Area No. II. These oysters were exported to a distributor in New York.
FDA Actions
The FDA is issuing this alert advising consumers not to eat and restaurants and food retailers not to sell oysters harvested between 2/10/2022 and 2/24/2022 and on 4/13/2022 and 4/14/2022 from Designated Area No. II from Dai One Food Co., Ltd., in ROK, due to possible norovirus GII contamination. The FDA notified State Shellfish Authorities and the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) of the import and harvest details.
As the FDA continues to monitor the investigation, we will provide additional information on further interstate distribution and provide assistance to states as needed. If contaminated oysters are found to have been distributed to additional states, we will update this public health alert. Please check back for more information.
Symptoms of Norovirus
Norovirus can cause a sporadic gastroenteritis, in populations ranging from children to the elderly. The infections are more frequent in children under age 5 than in adults. The most common symptoms of norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Other symptoms include fever, headache, and body ache.
Most people infected with norovirus begin to develop symptoms 12 to 48 hours after infection. Symptoms usually last one to four days.
What Do Restaurants and Retailers Need to Do?
Restaurants and retailers should not sell the potentially affected raw oysters. Restaurants and retailers should dispose of any products by throwing them in the garbage or returning to their distributor for destruction.
Restaurants and retailers should also be aware that the oysters may be a source of pathogens and should control the potential for cross–contamination of food processing equipment and the food processing environment. They should follow the steps below:
- Wash hands with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitation process.
- Retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators who have processed and packaged any potentially contaminated products need to be concerned about cross contamination of cutting surfaces and utensils through contact with the potentially contaminated products.
- Retailers that have sold bulk product should clean and sanitize the containers used to hold the product.
- Regular frequent cleaning and sanitizing of food contact surfaces and utensils used in food preparation may help to minimize the likelihood of cross–contamination.
