19 hours Ago
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating a norovirus outbreak associated with raw oysters served at the annual Los Angeles Times’s 101 Best Restaurants event on December 3, 2024. First reported by L.A.
Taco , LADPH confirmed that at least 80 people reported illness after consuming oysters at the event, which was hosted at the Hollywood Palladium. Those who fell sick reported extreme gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Hundreds of people attended the Times ’ 101 Best Restaurants event, which had a sprawling lineup of the region’s top restaurants; dozens of the restaurants featured cooked and served food to attendees on-site.
The night culminated in a countdown of the top 101 restaurants in Southern California. In an emailed statement to Eater, LADPH associated the potential source of the outbreak with the raw oysters served that night: This outbreak is associated with a multijurisdictional outbreak linked to oysters that have now been recalled. The recalled oysters are Fanny Bay Select oysters and Fanny Bay XS oysters from Pacific Northwest Shellfish Co, BC740SP with a pack date of November 25, 2024 or later.
The date of the recall notice was December 13, 2024. Public Health is continuing to investigate the outbreak. L.
A. Taco reporter Lexis-Olivier Ray spoke to more than 11 people who fell ill after the event, including the publication’s editor, Javier Cabral. Cabral allegedly vomited more than two dozen times and described his experience as “the most horrible food poisoning” in the L.
A. Taco story. Cabral shared that the health department sent a survey requesting stool samples from event attendees.
According to L.A. Taco, Providence served oysters at its raw bar.
When asked for comment, Los Angeles Times spokesperson Hillary Manning responded via email: “We are still waiting for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to conclude their investigation, but it appears that the issue was specific to the supplier of the oysters, Fanny Bay Oysters. Fanny Bay Oysters originating from British Columbia, Canada, were sourced by Santa Monica Seafood, a sponsor and the seafood vendor of the event, and provided to one of the featured restaurants to serve.” Additionally, LADPH inspected the restaurant’s storage and handling of the oysters, and the food safety protocols and standards at the event, and found that both the restaurant and the event’s producers met and exceeded all food safety requirements.
” Eater reached out to Santa Monica Seafood for comment. Foods served raw like oysters or steak tartare typically come with a written warning on restaurant menus, as oysters can potentially carry microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. Recalls are fairly common.
On January 17, 2024, LADPH released a statement indicating that “more than 150 suspected local cases of gastrointestinal illness were linked to the consumption of raw oysters, likely caused by norovirus.” Health officials said the infected oysters were connected to farms in the Gulf of California, Baja Peninsula, Sonora, and other locations in Mexico. The U.
S. Food and Drug Administration strictly monitors oyster production and distribution. On December 18, the FDA issued a recall for oysters harvested from British Columbia and specific areas of Canada and advised the following for restaurants: “Restaurants and food retailers not to serve or sell and consumers not to eat certain oysters sold as Fanny Bay, Buckley Bay, and Royal Miyagi oysters.
” California’s Department of Public Health also released a raw oyster recall on December 13 and a consumption warning on December 17 . Related Sign up for our newsletter. Check your inbox for a welcome email.
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