KTBS 3 News | Shreveport, LA: ArkLaTex News - FDA backs off oyster ban after strong criticism

RSS Feeds

FDA backs off oyster ban after strong criticism

By Associated Press

Posted: Nov 14, 2009 5:37 AM
Updated: Nov 14, 2009 5:39 AM

The Obama administration is backing off a plan to ban raw oysters from the Gulf of Mexico during warm weather.

The FDA acted after meeting with fierce resistance from the oyster industry and Gulf Coast lawmakers. Instead, the agency told lawmakers Friday it will put the proposal on hold while it studies ways to make consumption of raw oysters more safe, according to several lawmakers.

Critics said the plan could have killed a $500 million industry and thousands of jobs.

The ban would have prohibited sales of raw oysters from the Gulf for much of the year unless the shellfish were treated to destroy bacteria that kills about 15 people per year.

Not registered? Enter your information. You will be sent a confirmation email.

Display Name:
E-mail:

I want to post without creating an account.

Your Comments:

Remember Me E-mail me when someone replies to this comment

Please keep your comments relevant. Inflamatory or offensive comments will be removed. Email addresses are NEVER displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

New users will be sent an email to confirm their comments. If you choose to create an account, a subsequent email will be sent with a password to login. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and it will automatically be made a link. Paragraph and line spacing is automatically maintained, so there is no need to use <p> or <br /> tags. All other HTML tags are removed, including <img>.