Consumers Advised to Discard Korean Shellfish and Shellfish Products

Contact: Jennifer Holton 517-241-2485

LANSING -- The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) today advised consumers to immediately discard and not consume any fresh or frozen shellfish from Korea due to a recent report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) saying these products may be contaminated.

Consumers who have fresh or frozen shellfish products labeled with Korea as the country of origin should return or discard the product immediately.

Effective immediately, FDA has removed all certified dealers in the Korean Shellfish Sanitation Program from its Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List. This action stops the shipment of fresh and frozen clams, mussels and oysters from Korea to the United States.  The FDA has not issued an official recall; however, states have been advised to treat Korean shellfish products as coming from an unapproved source. The shellfish products came from polluted waters and may cause illness.

MDARD has alerted Michigan shellfish shippers of the advisory. As an added precaution, inspectors have begun visiting restaurants and food retailers that may have received product to advise them that all fresh and frozen Korean shellfish products are considered adulterated and must not be consumed or sold.

To date, no illnesses related to Korean shellfish or shellfish products have been reported to the Michigan Department of Community Health.  Anyone who has consumed these products and became ill should seek medical assistance and contact their local health department immediately.

For more information about food safety, visit www.michigan.gov/mdard or www.fda.gov.

UPDATE:

FDA has updated its webpage regarding the removed all Korean certified shippers from the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL) effective May 1, 2012. Please follow the link listed below: http://www.fda.gov/Food/NewsEvents/ConstituentUpdates/ucm304600.htm

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