WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to halt a proposed plan to ban Gulf Coast oysters that are not subject to post-harvest processing. Sen. Landrieu received the news in a phone call with FDA Commissioner Dr. Peggy Hamburg earlier today.

Sen. Landrieu has been a staunch opponent of the FDA regulation, and has organized several calls and meetings urging top FDA officials to reconsider their proposed action.

"The FDA's decision today is a major win for our oyster industry and all of Louisiana," Sen. Landrieu said. "By reversing course, the FDA has acknowledged that its original plan was unreasonable and that we need a commonsense approach to protecting the small number of at-risk consumers.

"I commend Commissioner Hamburg for listening to Louisianians' unified voice, and for being willing to partner with the industry to find a path forward that does not put oystermen out of business. I believe that the FDA should continue to work with the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Commission (ISSC) to implement the plan adopted in 2001 to combat Vibrio Vulnificus (V.v.), and work with the ISSC in the future to develop sound policies to address this illness. This is the best solution to protecting both consumers and thousands of oyster industry jobs."

The Louisiana oyster industry employs 3,500 Louisianians and has an estimated $318 million impact on the state. Currently, Gulf States produce 67 percent of all oysters harvested in U.S.

Last year, there were more than 87 million cases of food-related illnesses, 371,000 hospitalizations and 5,700 deaths. However, only 15 individuals with pre-existing conditions died from eating raw oysters last year. This means that less than one-quarter of one percent of all food-related deaths in the U.S. were the result of consuming raw Gulf oysters. Five times as many Americans die each year from being struck by lightning than by consuming raw oysters.

Only 10 percent of the harvested oysters in the Gulf Coast are processed using these post-harvest technologies. Currently, the Gulf oyster industry is post--harvesting 30 million pounds of oysters, leaving 270 million untreated. Those 270 million have an economic impact of $324 million.