An attorney for an organization called Center for Science For the Public Interest took issue with a decision by the FDA over raw oysters and said the federal government was putting politics over health. 

David Plunkett, Senior Staff Attorney for the Center said, “Public health lost out to the politics of special interests with FDA's announcement today that it may delay a requirement for processing Gulf Coast oysters to destroy the deadly bacteria Vibrio vulnificus, pending the findings of a feasibility study. A group of Gulf Coast Senators and Representatives weighed in on the side of a small but vocal industry in their states and won. Unfortunately this political victory for the Gulf Coast oyster industry is a health tragedy for their customers, and the action condemns scores of consumers to serious illness and death from this potent pathogen. This small portion of the shellfish industry should not have a free pass from FDA to sell adulterated and potentially deadly oysters to the public.”

However, according to various Louisiana public officials, there have been only been fifteen deaths coming from raw oysters last year and that the FDA could have used a more reasonable approach in dealing with the hazard.  Plunkett did not mention the impact the FDA decision would have upon the economies of states already attempting to recover from various hurricanes or the families of the industries impacted by the ban.

In a press statement earlier, US Senator Mary Landrieu said, ““The FDA’s decision today is a major win for our oyster industry and all of Louisiana,” Sen. Landrieu said. “By reversing course, the FDA has acknowledged that its original plan was unreasonable and that we need a commonsense approach to protecting the small number of at-risk consumers.

            “I commend Commissioner Hamburg for listening to Louisianians’ unified voice, and for being willing to partner with the industry to find a path forward that does not put oystermen out of business.  I believe that the FDA should continue to work with the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Commission (ISSC) to implement the plan adopted in 2001 to combat Vibrio Vulnificus (V.v.), and work with the ISSC in the future to develop sound policies to address this illness.  This is the best solution to protecting both consumers and thousands of oyster industry jobs.” 

The Louisiana oyster industry employs 3,500 Louisianians and has an estimated $318 million impact on the state. Currently, Gulf States produce 67 percent of all oysters harvested in U.S. 

Last year, there were more than 87 million cases of food-related illnesses, 371,000 hospitalizations and 5,700 deaths. However, only 15 individuals with pre-existing conditions died from eating raw oysters last year. This means that less than one-quarter of one percent of all food-related deaths in the U.S. were the result of consuming raw Gulf oysters. Five times as many Americans die each year from being struck by lightning than by consuming raw oysters.

Only 10 percent of the harvested oysters in the Gulf Coast are processed using these post-harvest technologies. Currently, the Gulf oyster industry is post–harvesting 30 million pounds of oysters, leaving 270 million untreated. Those 270 million have an economic impact of $324 million.