Oysters banned after surge in vomiting bug

FRANCE has banned the sale and harvest of its celebrated Arcachon oysters, a staple at New Year’s Eve celebrations in the country, amid a spike in food poisoning triggered by wastewater.

The plump Pacific oysters from Arcachon Bay in south-west France are also among the most sought-after in the country. Along with gracing the tables of Christmas dinners, fresh oysters are as much a year-end tradition as champagne at French festivities.

But the prefecture of Gironde said that several cases of collective food poisoning could be traced back to the consumption of oysters from Arcachon Bay. Further analysis also found the presence of the norovirus. “The symptoms are those of acute gastroenteritis and no serious cases have been reported to date,” the prefecture of Gironde said.

The local health agency also noted a spike in visits to emergency rooms during Christmas and Boxing Day for incidents of food poisoning. Symptoms of the norovirus include sudden and violent vomiting, “often in an uncontrollable jet” – as described by the French national food safety agency – as well as diarrhoea, cramps, abdominal pain, fever, chills, aches and headaches.

The news deals a blow to oyster farmers, for whom the holiday period is one of their busiest and most lucrative. In an interview with France Info, Xavier Daney, mayor of the oyster-producing town Arès, said that the period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve represents up to 20 per cent of sales for oyster farms. “This comes at the worst time for oyster farmers,” Mr Daney said.

Consumers who bought oysters from the bay are being advised to return them to the point of sale. The local trade group attributes the presence of the norovirus to heavy rains and wastewater run-off that has caused “overflow into the natural environment” and contaminated production areas.