FDA delays ban on Gulf oysters

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has delayed indefinitely a ban on the sale of raw oysters from the Gulf Coast during warmer months.

The proposed ban needs more study, the agency said Friday.

"It is clear from our discussions to date that there is a need to further examine both the process and timing for large and small oyster harvesters to gain access to processing facilities," FDA officials said in a statement.

In an announcement last month, the FDA had proposed processing all Gulf Coast oysters during warmer months to reduce the risk of Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria in raw oysters that annually kills about 15 people in the United States and can cause kidney failure and excruciating pain, and lead to amputations.

Processing could include cooking, freezing or other steps to kill the oyster and reduce the risk of bacterial infection, the FDA said. Representatives of the oyster industry have said those steps would render oysters unmarketable.