WESTPORT, CT — Norm Bloom, the veteran Connecticut shell fisherman and owner of Copps Island Oysters, said in a statement Friday that his company is fully cooperating with state and federal officials, following a recall of some of the oysters his company harvested last month in Westport.
The oysters in question, which were harvested from lot 207, were associated with a norovirus outbreak in Minnesota, but Bloom said in a statement to Patch that investigators have only “implicated a single bag of 100 oysters” as possibly being impacted.
“The Connecticut Department of Agriculture notified us that twelve individuals had become ill and were reporting symptoms consistent with norovirus,” Bloom said. “These individuals all dined at a single restaurant in Minnesota. Eight of those twelve individuals had consumed oysters, and two of those were confirmed to have norovirus.”
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Bloom’s company supplies shellfish to restaurants and retailers in dozens of states, and the Food and Drug Administration, which publicized the recall, said Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Texas also received oysters from the company.
However, Bloom said that only the single restaurant in Minnesota has reported any illnesses.
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“It is important to note that no other states or restaurants have reported illnesses from products sold from the implicated lot or neighboring lots,” Bloom said. “At this time, this is isolated to one restaurant in Minnesota, and the cause of contamination is still under investigation.”
According to the FDA, norovirus can cause nausea, vomiting and other ailments.
“Shellfish contaminated with norovirus can cause illness if eaten, and potentially severe illness in people with compromised immune systems,” FDA officials wrote in a statement. “Food containing norovirus may look, smell, and taste normal. Consumers of these products who are experiencing symptoms of illness should contact their healthcare provider and report their symptoms to their local Health Department. Diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever may be associated with gastroenteritis infections caused by this organism.”
Bloom said that samples collected by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture from the growing area and the company’s facility “indicated no evidence of bacteria or viruses present in 1) the growing area, 2) the shellfish tissue or 3) our facility.”
The recall, he said, was issued “out of an abundance of caution” by the state Department of Agriculture for oysters from lot 207, which were harvested on Feb. 20.
He added that the recall was issued “despite no evidence of elevated levels of bacteria or viruses. No other shellfish are implicated in this recall.”
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“As always, we have complied with the recall and are cooperating with the authorities, as the safety of our products and the health of our customers and the public is of paramount importance to us,” Bloom said. “We will keep you abreast of any new developments in this investigation.”
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