The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Albion Fisheries Ltd. are warning the public not to consume certain oysters described below as they may be linked to a Vibriosis outbreak.
The oysters affected by this alert were harvested from the Hood Canal 6 growing area in Washington state between July 3 and August 3, 2007. These oysters were imported to British Columbia and mainly distributed to food service establishments. They were also sold from the following retail stores:
Name Sales Period
Country Grocers, 1153 Esquimalt Road, Victoria, BC August 2 to 8, inclusive
Mad Dog Crabs, 775 Canada Avenue, Duncan, BC August 2 to 8, inclusive
Peninsula Co-op, 2132 Keating Cross Road, Saanichton, BC August 4 to 8, inclusive
Thrifty?s, 6th and England Avenue, Courtney, BC August 3 to 8, inclusive
Thrifty?s, 280 East Island Highway, Parksville, BC August 2 to 8, inclusive
Village Food Markets, 6661 Sooke Road, Sooke, BC August 4 to 8, inclusive
The importer, Albion Fisheries Ltd., of Vancouver, British Columbia, is voluntarily recalling these oysters from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of this recall.
The Washington State Department of Health reported that these oysters have been linked to six cases of Vibriosis in California. There have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of these oysters in Canada.
Vibriosis is caused by a naturally occurring bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. Symptoms usually appear about 12-24 hours after eating infected shellfish. Severe disease is rare and occurs more commonly in persons with weakened immune systems.
For more information, consumers and industry can call one of the following numbers:
Albion Fisheries Ltd., Michelle Argue at 604-875-9424 ext. 357.
The CFIA at 1-800-442-2342 / TTY 1-800-465-7735 (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern time, Monday to Friday).