The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning restaurants to discard raw oysters that were harvested from the Groton, Conn., area at the end of August.
The agency said it found evidence of contamination in lots that were shipped to retailers and foodservice distributors after being collected from fishing-approved areas from Aug. 28-30. It did not say what contaminant was found, but a warning issued Wednesday notes that consumers could be sickened by E. coli or salmonella.
Harvesting has already been halted in the area where the samples originated.
The suspect shellfish has already been distributed to retailers and foodservice distributors serving New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Virginia, the FDA said. It added that the oysters may have been passed along to other states as well.
The advisory was the latest in a series of warnings issued by the food-safety watchdog about shellfish this summer. Last month, it advised establishments to toss cultured mussels that were harvested Aug. 14 and 15 from Prince Edward Island, Canada, and marketed by East River Shellfish Inc. The seafood was distributed in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York.
An advisory against selling certain oysters from Nova Scotia was issued in July.
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