FDA: Don’t eat live scallops from unlicensed harvester, may be contaminated from banned Mass. waters

BOSTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising consumers not to eat, and restaurants and food retailers not to sell, and to dispose of certain Intershell International Corp. whole, live scallops that were received from an unlicensed harvester and may be contaminated, the agency said Wednesday.

The scallops are believed to be harvested from prohibited waters in Massachusetts and incorrectly labeled as harvest location FED 514, with harvest dates 12/26/23, 12/27/23 and 01/01/24 because they may be contaminated, the FDA said in a statement.

The scallops were directly distributed to distributors and retailers in Massachusetts, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, and may have been distributed further from these states, officials said.

“Scallops harvested from prohibited waters may be contaminated with human pathogens, toxic elements or poisonous or deleterious substances and can cause illness if consumed,” the FDA said. “Scallops are filter feeders that remove and bioaccumulate bacteria and other pathogens from the water. It is not uncommon for shellfish to be consumed raw and whole.”

Contaminated scallops can cause illness if eaten raw and whole, or with viscera or roe attached, particularly in people with compromised immune systems, the FDA said. Scallops contaminated with pathogens may look, smell, and taste normal.

“People can get sick with food poisoning after ingesting pathogens, toxic elements, or poisonous or deleterious substances,” the agency said.

Symptoms of food poisoning can range from mild to serious. The most common symptoms of food poisoning are diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Symptoms may start within a few hours or may take a few days and can last for a few hours or several days.

Consumers of these products who are experiencing food poisoning symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting, or fever should contact their healthcare provider, who should report their symptoms to their local Health Department, the FDA said.

Restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell the potentially contaminated whole, live scallops, and dispose of any products by throwing them in the garbage or returning them to their distributor for destruction, the FDA advised.

The FDA also advised restaurants and retailers of the potential for cross-contamination of food processing equipment and the food processing environment in this situation, and offered the steps to follow below:

• Wash hands with warm water and soap following the cleaning and sanitation process.
• Retailers, restaurants, and other food service operators who have processed and packaged any potentially contaminated products need to be concerned about cross-contamination of cutting surfaces and utensils through contact with the potentially contaminated products.
• Retailers that have sold bulk product should clean and sanitize the containers used to hold the product.
• Regular frequent cleaning and sanitizing of food contact surfaces and utensils used in food preparation may help to minimize the likelihood of cross-contamination.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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