South Korean Oysters Contaminated with Norovirus, Hawaii Announces Recall
In June of this year, residents of Green Island in Taitung, Taiwan, China, suffered food poisoning after eating raw oysters imported from South Korea that were contaminated with norovirus; and since September, similar cases have occurred one after another in the US state of Hawaii, and the state announced a recall days ago of Korean raw oyster products from a specific company.
Regarding Hawaii's recall of Korean raw oyster products, our country's Food and Drug Administration (abbreviated as the FDA) said it had not yet received relevant information, but the FDA will require businesses importing raw oysters from South Korea to provide hygiene certificates showing they are fit for human consumption.
In Taiwan, China in 2012, the Xiangshi Tiantang restaurant also had an incident in which Korean raw oysters carried norovirus; Changhua County Health Bureau Director Yeh Yen-po and imported seafood industry operators believe that our country should distinguish at the import stage between raw oysters for raw consumption and raw oysters not for raw consumption; however, the FDA believes that the source, preparation, and storage of food can all cause food to spoil, so it will not specifically make such a distinction.
Japanese raw oysters are classified as for raw consumption and for heat preparation
Kaohsiung Health Bureau: Closely Investigating
However, in the face of similar food poisoning incidents, Yeh Yen-po stressed that the source and downstream of the food must be traced, and the FDA must also cooperate with the Centers for Disease Control, on the one hand obtaining the latest overseas epidemic information, and at the same time being able to grasp cross-county and cross-city poisoning incidents in our country, to avoid hastily closing the case as if it were a "sporadic incident."
Hsieh Hsiu-chi, a technical specialist in the Food Hygiene Division of the Kaohsiung City Health Bureau, which has jurisdiction over many businesses importing aquatic products from South Korea, said that when the food poisoning occurred on Green Island, an inspection of the source businesses was carried out immediately, and close communication channels with hospitals must also be maintained.