The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers and restaurants to not eat or sell certain scallops harvested in Massachusetts because they were illegally harvested and could be contaminated. File photo by Ezio Petersen/UPI
The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers and restaurants to not eat or sell certain scallops harvested in Massachusetts on fears they were illegally harvested and could be contaminated.
The FDA issued an alert to retailers in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania that recently purchased whole, live scallops from certain Intershell International Corp. that some may have been caught by an illegal harvester in prohibited waters off the coast of Massachusetts. Advertisement
The agency said it’s possible the scallops made their way to other states, as well.
“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 absorb bacteria and other pathogens from the water.
Contaminated scallops with pathogens may look, smell and taste normal, but they can cause illness if eaten raw and whole, or with viscera or roe attached, particularly in people with compromised immune systems, the FDA said.
The agency based its warning on information from a Massachusetts Department of Health investigation that dates to late last year. Advertisement
A recall by Intershell International Corp. is for scallops that were “received from an unlicensed harvester, allegedly harvested from a prohibited area” in Massachusetts and incorrectly labeled as harvest location FED 514.
The shellfish allegedly were harvested on Dec. 26 and 27, 2023, and Jan. 1.
The FDA advised retailers, restaurants and other food service operators who have processed and packaged or sold bulk scallops to clean and sanitize the containers used to hold the product because of cross-contamination concerns.
