Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety has appealed to merchants to stop selling raw oysters harvested from San Antonio Bay, Texas in the United States after February 1, 2007.
A CFS spokesman said the Food and Drug Administration of the United States advised consumers to avoid eating raw oysters harvested from the area as a result of report of an outbreak of norovirus-associated illness linked to eating raw oysters.
According to the FDA, the distributor Bayview Seafood in Seadrift, Texas, issued a voluntary recall on February 26. Another distributor, Rose Bay Oyster Company of Swanquarter, NC, issued a voluntary recall on February 28, 2007. Oysters with tags that read: "Gal 1, 2/2/07" are subject to the recall.
"The elderly, children, pregnant women and people with lower immunity should avoid consuming high-risk foods like raw oysters or cold dishes. The Centre will continue to monitor the situation and follow up with the US authorities for more information," the spokesman said.
