The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned consumers to avoid eating three frozen cooked mussel products from Ireland's Bantry Bay Seafoods that may be contaminated with azaspiracid toxins.
The agency advised retailers, foodservice operators and consumers to throw away Bantry Bay Mussels in Garlic Butter Sauce, Mussels in White Wine Sauce and Mussels in Tomato and Garlic Sauce with use-by dates between Jan. 23, 2009, and Nov. 15, 2009. They are sold in 1-pound cardboard packages in stores nationwide.
In July, two people in Washington state became ill after consuming the Mussels in Garlic Butter Sauce.
Azaspiracid toxins are naturally occurring in the marine environment and cannot be destroyed by freezing or cooking. They are odorless and tasteless and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach cramps; symptoms typically occur within hours of consumption and last for two to three days.
Azaspiracid toxins were first discovered in Irish shellfish in 1995 and have since been found in shellfish from Europe's west coast. They have never been detected in U.S. shellfish.
