On the heels of an oil spill that many people feared would cause long term damage to the environment, the Food and Drug Administration has said that consumers shouldn’t worry about the safety of fish currently on the market.
Consumers have recently grown concerned about the issue following the release photos which showed fish from the Gulf of Mexico as having deformities and lesions on their bodies. And although scientists say that this is a sign that the oil spill two years ago does have a lasting impact, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the fish on the market are unsafe.
The FDA says that if a fish really is diseased, it’s illegal to sell that fish. A spokesperson cites the relatively low number of affected fish as a reason that the public shouldn’t be scared about the threat that such seafood could pose. And as far as oil contamination is concerned, laboratories on both the state and federal levels have been busy testing 10,000-plus fish and shrimp to determine if oil could pose a threat. The FDA figures that the average consumer would need to eat five pounds of oysters or nine pounds of other seafood every day for five years for a danger to become a possibility.
As a personal injury lawyer in Long Beach, I find it incredible and disappointing that there might be safety issues two years after a disaster. I’m glad to see that testing is ongoing to keep consumers safe, and I hope as a personal injury lawyer in San Bernardino that these efforts continue.
The Food and Drug Administration is moving forward with plans to shut down a seafood distributor that they say is endangering public health.
A permanent injunction is being sought by the FDA against Fujino Enterprises Inc., more commonly known as Blue Ocean Smokehouse, a company based out of Half Moon Bay. That injunction would prevent the continued processing and distribution of fish products. The Department of Justice has filed a complaint.
Findings by the FDA have shown that the fish products made by Blue Ocean are adulterated. The conditions used to process these food items fail to comply with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point regulations, which are supposed to be in place in order to spot hazards and prevent their further occurrence.
The FDA also claims that preparation conditions don’t meet standards set by Current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements, citing an October inspection which showed unsatisfactory employee hygiene and inadequate contamination protection.
In addition, it was discovered that the company’s products may contain a botulism toxin that cannot be removed through heating or freezing. Listeria monocytogenes, an infection causing agent, was also found on various surfaces, and Blue Ocean’s tuna was at risk of contracting scombrotoxin.
All things considered, this seems pretty damning to a San Diego personal injury lawyer like me. When companies fail to comply with the FDA, steps must and will be taken to ensure public safety. As a personal injury lawyer in Riverside, I just hope things get fixed before someone gets hurt.
According to the news perpetuated in the past months, this hasn’t been a good year for seafood lovers. Reports from environmental groups and governmental agencies show that salinity levels in state waters are higher than ever before. Due mostly to this environmental issues, Louisiana fell behind Washington State in much of its seafood production but especially in oyster production.
The reports from authorities show that the production of oysters is the worst and lowest in 60 years. The FDA has stated that oyster consumption has allegedly claimed many lives. The necessity for a safety agenda that will assure a safe and healthy product to consumers across the nation is now irrevocable.
The Government Accountability Office is pushing the federal government to come to terms with the oyster industry over the most life-threatening issue related to oyster consumption in the planet: the Vibrio vulnificus that may be found in raw oysters and that allegedly can turn out to be deadly.
As a Los Angeles wrongful death attorney I hope that consumers will be alert whenever purchasing any raw oyster products. I sincerely hope that the government will be able to provide the nation with a safe guideline for the oyster industry so no more deaths will happen from oyster consumption.
Personal injury lawyers will be of great assistance if you were ever the victim of the negligence of an industry that has provided your community with contaminated food products.
