Providence — The Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) is advising consumers not to eat any fresh or frozen shellfish that comes from Korea.
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that all fresh and frozen shellfish, and many products made from these shellfish, shipped from Korea to the United States may be contaminated. This includes frozen breaded shellfish products from Korea.
Effective immediately, FDA has removed all certified dealers in the Korean Shellfish Sanitation Program from its Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List. This stops the shipment of fresh and frozen molluscan shellfish from Korea to the U.S. Molluscan shellfish include oysters, clams, mussels and scallops.
States have been advised to treat Korean shellfish products as being from an unapproved source. Canned shellfish products are not affected.
HEALTH advises that consumers who have already purchased these products should not eat them.
Shellfish grown and produced in Rhode Island are not affected.
No illnesses have been reported in Rhode Island.
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