Raw (or undercooked) is risky: BC oyster edition

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I’m not a huge oyster fan  I’ve only eaten raw ones a couple of times and steamed are a bit chewy. I’ll eat them baked or fried.

Raw oysters have been linked to over 170 cases of noro
in Canada – oysters from the same harvesting area we’re distributed to the US too.

One of my favorite noro outbreaks (for the science, not the illnesses) was this one linked to steamed oysters. Lightly steamed doesn’t reduce noro risk that much.

And BC oysters had a similar outbreak last year.

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About Ben Chapman

Dr. Ben Chapman is a professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University. As a teenager, a Saturday afternoon viewing of the classic cable movie, Outbreak, sparked his interest in pathogens and public health. With the goal of less foodborne illness, his group designs, implements, and evaluates food safety strategies, messages, and media from farm-to-fork. Through reality-based research, Chapman investigates behaviors and creates interventions aimed at amateur and professional food handlers, managers, and organizational decision-makers; the gate keepers of safe food. Ben co-hosts a biweekly podcast called Food Safety Talk and tries to further engage folks online through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and, maybe not surprisingly, Pinterest. Follow on Twitter @benjaminchapman.