FDA, Oystercatcher

Jillian Bandes | October 29, 2009 4:44 PM

The new regulations would require them to be zapped, boiled or frozen, potentially tripling the cost and killing the delicious salty-smooth taste raw oyster-eaters have come to love. In the process, it would suck time and money from suppliers, restaurants, and grocery chains.

It's all because about 15 people -- out of the millions of Americans that consume raw oysters safely every year -- die from potential complications. And even those people usually have AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis, or liver damage. But the FDA says that "persuading them to change their behavior with respect to shellfish consumption or other risk factors has proven extremely difficult."

Because of a few irresponsible individuals -- whose afflictions are oftentimes preventable, whether that be through drinking less or not participating in risky sexual behavour -- we all have to suffer.