Summertime Oysters
Recently on BasilandSpice.com, there was an article about suggestions from The Center for Science in the Public Interest concerning the safety of Gulf oysters and the very real dangers of eating oysters harvested from warm waters at warm times of the year.
In the article, The Center for Science in the Public Interest suggests to governors of the various states to ban the importation and interstate sales of Gulf Oysters. This suggestion, however, is quite troubling, as there may be better ways to provide this safety.
I should first be upfront and state that I live in coastal Louisiana, where most commercial Gulf of Mexico oysters are harvested. One of my colleagues across campus from me helped Ernie Voisin develop a high pressure technique for treating oysters for Vibrio Vulnificus. This technique is used by Mike Voisin, an area businessman, to treat the oysters he markets. I work on an economic development authority, a local governmental body, with Mr. Voisin, who chairs the body. So, I come from the area where these oysters are harvested and work with people whose businesses might be enhanced from such regulations.
Oysters, particularly from warm water, are dangerous to eat raw. Any raw shellfish is risky. Thorough disinfecting and techniques to avoid cross contamination should be practiced in any kitchen serving shellfish. I love to eat oysters any time of the year. However, at warmer times, I eat them only after they have been cooked! A ban on interstate sales of Gulf or any other oysters is just unnecessary. Warnings, consumer information, might be more reasonable. In case the well-meaning folks at The Center for Science in the Public Interest are unaware, oysters are not only eaten raw, at least, here in Louisiana, we often cook our oysters. I enjoy chicken and turkey, too, but I always sure fowl is thoroughly cooked. After problems with spinach and lettuce contamination last year, I make sure that I do not eat or serve unwashed lettuce or spinach.
Should there be bans on interstate sales of lettuce or spinach because some people fail to wash their lettuce? What about on chicken or pork? Of course not. Instead, buyers should be made aware of the risks of eating certain foods in raw or unwashed conditions.
Warnings on menus and on containers about risks of oysters in warm months should suffice to keep us safe from Vibrio Vulnificus. Maybe it is because I am from coastal Louisiana, but for as long as I can remember, there has been a common rule of thumb regarding consuming raw oysters: “only eat raw oysters in months with an ‘r’ in the month.” This means never in May through August. I would be more cautious and add April and October to those months to avoid raw oysters. For instance, the regulations in Louisiana on raw seafood can be seen here.
Now, there are raw oysters that are completely safe to eat, such as those treated with high pressure, and those who want to eat raw oysters in the summer should look for these oysters. While not endorsing Mr. Voisin’s hydrostatic high-pressure treated oysters in any way (Bastiat’s Bastions is hosted on a state taxpayer-support server, and I use my taxpayer-provided computer to write this), I do wish to point out what Mr. Voisin’s company has to say about their treated oyster on their website.
Cooking oysters is another way to avoid the risk of Vibrio Vulnificus. This is far safer than relying on government agencies which may fail to maintain perfectly maintain safety in the food supply. When I think about the great variety of ways to cook oysters, I hear in my mind the voice of “Bubba” from “Forest Gump” where Bubba goes on for what seems like days reciting all of the names of shrimp recipes. I am not sure if there are as many ways to prepare oysters, but I think it might be close. A simple search for “oyster recipes” on your favorite search engine is bound to turn up something both tasty and healthy. So, cooking and washing works far more effectively than regulation. Why should people who know how to cook be kept from this ingredient just because some people do not know how?
However, eating only cooked oysters, treated oysters or not eating them at all will not keep you safe from this disease. Exposing an open wound to warm seawater is another path to infection of Vibrio Vulnificus, making cuts and scratches at the beach quite dangerous, especially for anyone with a compromised immune system. Opening raw oysters to cook them should also be done with care, as it is easy to get scratched or cut by the rough and sharp edges of an oyster in the process.
The Centers for Disease Control has an excellent page dealing with Vibrio Vulificus. The University of Georgia and the University of California have an excellent webpage on oyster safety, as well.
-MC
August 7th, 2009 at 10:08 am
After reading the Summertime Oysters blog I am very shocked that our great state would allow this ban to go through! Not only is this a major profit for Louisiana, but the citizens of Louisiana should not be punished for those who aren’t aware of Vibrio Vulificus. Instead of banning importation and interstate sales of Gulf oysters, why doesn’t The Center for Science in Public Interest make buyers and sellers of oysters post signs or give letters that educate them on Vibrio Vulificus. As an Allied Health Science major at NSU, the health and well being of people is very important, but also advocating issues and educating people is as well.
Oysters have been a food source for decades and we should be thankful that we are aware of the Vibrio Vulificus and that there are ways of avoiding it. I feel that with the proper education of the infection and advocating what can be done to prevent it the scare of Vibrio Vulificus will calm down.
August 31st, 2009 at 8:18 am
I understand that the government must have people diligently working to assure the health and safety of it’s people. Through this challenging job, some efforts may not seem thorough enough (especially depending on one’s heritage!) and equally some may seem “far-fetched”. Sure I am one who is influenced by my southern heritage, but I believe I am capable of separating my tie’s to my eating habits from a reasonable and ethical opinion. Banning the sale of Gulf oysters altogether, at any given time, would fall under the “far-fetched” category. People are capable of understanding the warnings that exist and making informed decisions and their own purchases and consumption of any product. We’ve all been made aware of the contamination of other products such as spinach and peanuts, of which there was no ban on the sale of these. There are other measures that can be taken that are not so narrow. Restrictions could be put on restaurants who serve oysters. However, many restaurants take their own precautions and don’t serve oysters raw during the warm months. I think this is one topic that just requires a little more thought on behalf of the law makers who push for the ban.
August 31st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Honestly, before reading this article, I did not think much about the potential ill effects eating oysters during any period of time had on a person’s health. After reading through the selection, it is easy to see the government is trying to raise the awareness of this problem. Growing up in south Louisiana, foods like, fish, shrimp, and oysters are embeded in the culture, so to think one of these foods can possibly be labeled as “banned” is ludacris. Extra precaustions during summer should be taken, but banning a resource that is a part of our culture is the wrong way to handle this situation.