FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Certain Mussel Products from Bantry Bay Seafood

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 15, 2008

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers against eating certain frozen cooked mussel products made by Bantry Bay Seafoods, imported from Ireland, because they may be contaminated with azaspiracid toxins, a group of naturally occurring marine toxins known to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.

Azaspiracid toxins are odorless, tasteless, and cannot be destroyed or neutralized by freezing or cooking, including boiling. Individuals who have experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as those noted above after eating any of the products listed below should consult their health care professional. Symptoms typically occur within hours of consumption and persist for two to three days.

In July, two people in Washington state became ill after eating the company's "Mussels in a Garlic Butter Sauce." FDA tested unopened product from the same production lot and found that it contained the azaspiracid toxins.

Consumers should throw out the following Bantry Bay Seafood frozen cooked products with "Best before end" dates ranging from January 23, 2009, to November 15, 2009:

These products are sold frozen in 1 pound cardboard packages in stores throughout the United States.

The FDA also recommends that retailers and foodservice operators remove these products, and any food in which these products were used as an ingredient, from sale or service.

Azaspiracid toxins were an unknown marine toxin until 1995, when they were identified and linked to an outbreak of foodborne illnesses associated with consumption of Irish shellfish. The toxins have since been identified in other shellfish from the west coast of Europe. They have never been detected in shellfish harvested from U.S. waters.

For more information on food safety, please visit the Web site for FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html.

Source: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01875.html

FSA issues warning about mussels from Bantry Bay Seafoods

Friday 2 May 2008 Ref: 2008/0721

The Food Standards Agency is warning people not to eat certain batches of frozen mussels produced by Irish company Bantry Bay Mussels Ltd (trading as Bantry Bay Seafoods).

The affected batches may contain AZP (Azaspiracid Shellfish Poisoning toxins), which are known to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. AZP are naturally occurring marine biotoxins. Mussels from the same batches are believed to be responsible for a number of cases of food poisoning in France.