Oysters and champagne. Love is in the air. It must be Valentine’s Day.
Yes, indeed, oysters have long been associated with romance — the perfect aphrodisiac.
There’s actually some science to back that up, although it’s about the way rats, not humans, responded to oysters in a 2005 study done
Continue Reading Keep the love alive …
The warmer coastal water temperature produced by summer weather creates ideal conditions for bacteria that can contaminate oysters, the Washington State Department of Health reminded the public over the Fourth of July weekend. Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, two types of bacteria that grow in warm waters and can cause
Continue Reading Oysters Can Harbor Dangerous Pathogens in Summer Months
A section of water in Washington state’s Grays Harbor County has been closed off to shellfish harvest after high levels of bacteria were discovered in the area. The Washington State Department of Health announced Tuesday that waters near Ocean Shores, WA would be closed permanently for the next year, and
Continue Reading Shellfish Harvest Area in Washington State Closed for Bacteria Hazard
Shellfish harvesting in areas in Oyster Bay, New York has been suspended after 8 people who ate shellfish from that area were sickened with Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections. Approximately 1,980 acres on the north shore of Oyster Bay have been closed until environmental samples reveal that the danger of Vibrio contamination
Continue Reading Oyster Bay Shellfish Harvest Suspended After 8 Fall Ill
When considering the best time of year to eat oysters, clams, mussels, and other mollusks, consumers may often hear the advice, “Never eat shellfish unless there is an R in the month.” This rule of thumb suggests that it is safer to eat shellfish from September through April and to
Continue Reading USDA Researchers Try to Make Shellfish Safer
For most of the year, my slow cooker stays on the shelf in my kitchen. But, when the Super Bowl approaches, I always pull it out to make chili, meatballs, or other hot party foods. The thing that I love about a slow cooker is that it can cook food
Continue Reading Super Bowl, Slow Cookers and Food Safety
Along with the many environmental problems posed by global climate change, an increase in ambient temperature could have negative effects on food safety everywhere, but particularly in developing countries.
That’s the message of a 2010 study in “Food Research International,” which investigates the varied effects of climate change on the
The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) has been re-chartered to add a consumer group representative; USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Thursday.
Established in 1988, NACMCF formulates positions on the development of microbiological criteria, the review and evaluation of epidemiological and risk assessment data
Continue Reading Consumer Rep Added to Microbiological Group
Canada has issued a nationwide warning after mussels personally harvested recently from a closed area of New Brunswick resulted in illnesses from Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP).
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) warned the public against consuming personally harvested bivalve shellfish from and around closed harvest areas.
These bivalve shellfish
Continue Reading Canadians Suffer Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning
On the tail of new estimates that oil is gushing in the Gulf of Mexico at a much faster rate than previously thought, the federal government expanded the area closed to fishing to encompass 80,806 square miles, approximately 33.4 percent of the Gulf’s federal waters.
According to the National Oceanic
