|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
FDA puts oyster processing change on hold
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Issue
|
| Contributor | Brandonius Maximus |
| Last Edited | Brandonius Maximus Nov 13, 2009 03:05pm |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | News |
| News Date | Friday, November 13, 2009 09:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | WASHINGTON - Facing fierce resistance, the Obama administration on Friday backed off a plan to ban sales of raw oysters from the Gulf of Mexico during warm weather.
The agency told lawmakers it will put the proposal on hold while it studies ways to make consumption of raw oysters more safe, according to several lawmakers, including Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Louisiana, and Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana.
In a news release, Melancon, who is challenging Vitter in a race for his Senate seat in 2010, said that "Banning fresh Gulf oysters in the name of food safety is like killing a fly with a sledgehammer."
Melancon and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, had organized a meeting on Tuesday with members of Congress and senior officials with the Food and Drug Administration, to discuss their concerns over the change.
Lawmakers blasted the plan as unnecessary government meddling. They said it could have killed a $500 million industry and thousands of jobs.
The proposal -- which had been slated to go into effect in 2011 -- would have prohibited sales of raw oysters from the Gulf for much of the year unless the shellfish were treated to destroy bacteria.
About 15 people die each year in the United States from raw oysters infected with Vibrio vulnificus, which typically is found in warm coastal waters between April and October. Most of the deaths occur in people with weak immune systems caused by health problems like liver or kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, or AIDS.
|
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
