Shellfish toxins sicken 70 in UK
The illnesses have been linked to consumption of mussels originating from a particular harvesting area in Shetland, Scotland with the vast majority of cases occurring between 13 and 15 july.
Shetland Mussels, which supplied the shellfish, has contacted its customers and advised the FSA that all of the mussels from this batch have either been consumed or disposed.
FSA said that following detection of unusually high levels of toxins, various shellfish harvesting sites in Scotland have been closed.
Harvesting suspended
Industry has also suspended all commercial harvesting from the waters around Shetland until toxin levels subside.
Shellfish toxins are produced by naturally occurring marine phytoplankton, and detected levels are higher in summer months.
FSA has a sampling programme that regularly monitors shellfish harvesting waters and closes areas where biotoxins are detected at levels which exceed the legal limit.
Mussels had been supplied to restaurants, some through a number of intermediary suppliers.
Customers reported illness after eating at: Belgo in Covent Garden, Holborn, Clapham and Bromley; Zero Degrees in Blackheath and Reading; The Phoenix near Hook, Hampshire; Boulevard Brasserie in Covent Garden; and Pig’s Ears in Richmond.
In a statement posted on their Facebook page, Shetland Mussels said the incident had never happened to them before in 16 years of production.
“We have recalled all the affected product and would stress there is no current risk to consumers. We are working with our local EHO and FSA to understand how this happened from an area which was open under the FSA toxin monitoring system at the time.”
Neogen ASP and DSP tests
Meanwhile, Neogen Europe has added to its offering for the seafood industry with tests to detect the toxins that cause amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) and diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP).
Neogen’s Reveal 2.0 for ASP detects ASP-causing toxins at a level of 20 parts per million (ppm), and Reveal 2.0 for DSP detects DSP-causing toxins at 160 parts per billion (ppb). Both are one-step tests, and are compatible with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union Commission permitted levels.
Both shellfish toxin tests offer extraction processes, meaning they are on-site field tests capable of being used on a boat, and are used with Neogen’s AccuScan Pro Reader.
“The combination of the new tests and test reader provide an unparalleled ease in achieving consistently accurate results when testing for these toxins,” said Neogen Europe’s Steve Chambers.
“The AccuScan Pro Reader completely eliminates the variance in interpreting test results that can exist when only using a visual appraisal, especially with inexperienced testers.
“It also provides a very easy method of storing and analysing test results — which is becoming increasingly required as many nations move to reduce the risk posed by these shellfish toxins.”
