Fwd: Tell FDA that you want safer shellfish

[Guest guest]

Dear DONNA M REILLY,

Since 1989, nearly 145 Americans are known to have

died, and 130 more have been seriously sickened, by

shellfish contaminated with Vibrio vulnificus bacteria.

But there are proven ways to fix this problem, which

is largely linked to shellfish harvested from the Gulf

of Mexico. Act now to urge the Food and Drug Administration

to strengthen its shellfish-safety standards.

You can take action on this alert either via email

(please see directions below) or via the web at:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/serving_safer_shellfish/wsbxxg2h78xtm5

Visit the web address below and tell your friends to

help strengthen shellfish-safety standards!

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/serving_safer_shellfish/forward/wsbxxg2h78xtm5

We encourage you to take action by August 2, 2002

Tell FDA that you want safer shellfish

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Vibrio vulnificus-tainted raw shellfish--oysters, clams,

and mussels--cause one of the deadliest types of food

poisoning. Virtually all shellfish harvested from the

Gulf of Mexico during the months of April to October

carry that bacterium.

The Food and Drug Administration has the legal duty

to protect consumers from unsafe shellfish. Although

FDA officials have known for well over a decade how

to fix this problem, they still haven't. Instead, the

FDA has given away much of its authority to a group

called the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference

(ISSC). Unfortunately, the ISSC, which is made up mostly

of representatives of shellfish-producing states and

industry, has been more interested in protecting the

income of the Gulf Coast shellfish industry than in

protecting the well-being of consumers.

To protect consumers from the hazards of Vibrio vulnificus-contaminated

raw molluscan shellfish, CSPI recommends the following

steps:

1. Restaurants, retailers, and shellfish brokers should

not buy Gulf Coast shellfish harvested during the months

of April to October for raw consumption unless the

shellfish are processed to kill Vibrio vulnificus.

2. Consumers who want to eat raw bivalve shellfish

should ask where the shellfish were harvested. Consumers

should not eat raw Gulf Coast oysters, clams, or mussels

unless they have been processed to kill the Vibrio

vulnificus bacterium.

3. The FDA should adopt regulations to ensure that

molluscan shellfish are safe.

Please let the FDA know that you are concerned about

the health of shellfish consumers. THANKS FOR YOUR

HELP!

You can edit and send (or simply send) the e-mail included

in this Alert. You can also mail letters to the FDA

at the following addresses:

ph Levitt

Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Food and Drug Administration

200 C St., SW

Room 6820

Washington, DC 20204

FDA Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305)

Docket No. 98P-0504

Food and Drug Administration

5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061

Rockville, MD 20852

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INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:

If you have access to a web browser, you can take action

on this alert by going to the following URL:

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/serving_safer_shellfish/wsbxxg2h78xtm5

INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:

Just choose the " reply to sender " option on your email

program, and edit the letter below as you wish. Do

not delete " -YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW- " and " -END

OF LETTER- " . Please do not add your name and address

to your letter. Our system automatically does this

for you.

We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to

our sample letter below, and put the alert talking

points into your own words. An individualized letter

is worth ten computer generated letters. Of course,

hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large

impact, so please reply even if you don't have time

to personalize the letter.

Your letter will be addressed and sent to:

Mr. ph Levitt

Food and Drug Administration, Dockets Management Branch

-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------

I'm not going to eat raw Gulf Coast shellfish until

you set standards to ensure that they are free from

deadly Vibrio vulnificus bacteria. By the Food and

Drug Administration's (FDA) own estimates, each year

up to 60 people die or become seriously ill because

you allow these tainted shellfish to be sold to consumers

just like me. Please stop letting Vibrio vulnificus-contaminated

shellfish rob people of their health and even their

lives.

Both the General Accounting Office and the Center for

Science in the Public Interest recently issued reports

calling on the FDA to retool its shellfish program.

The FDA is supposed to be protecting consumers from

unsafe shellfish, but instead, the FDA is allowing

an industry-dominated group, the Interstate Shellfish

Sanitation Conference (ISSC), to do its job. The problem

is, allowing the ISSC to set standards for shellfish

safety is like letting the fox guard the henhouse.

Consumer confidence in the FDA's ability to ensure

safe food is eroding. For too long consumers have waited

for FDA to add shellfish-safety standards to its regulations.

We can't afford to wait any longer.

-------END OF LETTER-------------------------

Sincerely yours,

DONNA M REILLY

62 BOGART ST

HUNTINGTON STATION, NY 11746

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