AS LIMERICK holiday makers make the most of the final few weeks before re commencement of the return to school routine, seaside visitors are being warned against eating wild shellfish from the shoreline of the west and south coast. Following a number of food poisoning incidents the Food Safety Association of Ireland (FSAI) said these illnesses, in areas of Galway, Mayo and Sligo are linked with “algal blooms that are occurring naturally along the West and South coast”.
With areas of the Clare coastline susceptible to the same blooms, Professor Alan Reilly, chief executive of FSAI said that some residents and visitors engaged in the recreational gathering of shellfish in the region may be unaware of the dangers of consuming such shellfish;
“Wild shellfish found along the West Coast may contain naturally occurring toxins that cannot be removed during cooking alone.
“Eating shellfish contaminated with these toxins can lead to people suffering nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach cramps and while the effects are not life threatening they can be particularly severe for older people, young children and people already suffering from a medical condition”.
The warning covers against the gathering of bi-valve shellfish such as mussels, oysters, scallops, cockles and clams.
Shellfish should only be purchased from reputable suppliers and consumers should know that commercial producers operate under the sophisticated national monitoring programme which manages the risks.
Prof Reilly says that information about the monitoring programme is available on www.marine.ie and consumers with food safety queries should contact the Food Safety Advice line on 1890 33 66 77.
In addition the Marine Institute has said that the algal bloom has levelled off but a note of caution is still to be exercised.
