FDA hasn't abandoned oyster ban idea

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pushing ahead with efforts to ban the harvest and sale of traditional, raw Gulf Coast oysters, but seafood lovers around the nation are sticking together to fight the plan.

People from all over the Gulf Coast met with top FDA officials last week, and I’m glad to report that shellfish groups from the East and West coasts were right by our side.

That’s because a group from the West Coast obtained documents showing that FDA’s ultimate plan is to ban the sale of traditional raw shellfish around the nation during warmer months – including clams. We’re just the first on the chopping block.

So the bottom line is that the fight has gotten even bigger, and here on the Gulf Coast we have more allies than ever before.

We all know it won’t be easy. The FDA is a huge federal agency, and its leaders are listening to people who don’t have a clue how the oyster and shellfish community really works. And as mad as that makes us on the Gulf Coast, there are signs of hope.

Many powerful members of Congress – Democrats and Republicans – are truly fighting for our simple right to harvest and eat raw shellfish, and public opinion is on our side. And for the first time harvesters and dealers from all three coasts have truly united, along with people from many regulatory agencies.

We expect more details in the next few weeks of how FDA plans to try to force the rules on us. In general, it appears they are willing to delay or phase in the oyster ban over several years – but not willing to drop the idea.

But even the FDA is accountable to public opinion, and to good science. The Franklin County Oyster & Seafood Task Force has joined with shellfish representatives from around the nation to push back with facts about how a ban could put thousands of Americans out of work; damage our rich coastal culture, and even hurt our environment.

So stick with us, because some things are worth fighting for. Washington D.C. bureaucrats shouldn’t be allowed to tell us what foods we’re allowed to eat, any more than they have the right to tell us where to live or what church to attend. The founding fathers of our nation spoke of our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and that includes the simple right of eating a traditional, raw oyster.

Kevin Begos is the executive director of the Franklin County Oyster & Seafood Task Force, Inc. He can be reached at 653-3351.