Illinois Seafood Lovers, Don’t Eat This Popular Food Item

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has put a major warning out to those who are seafood lovers in Illinois. A certain brand of mussels may have two diseases that can get you really sick.

There hasn't been a recall yet, but before you order any mussels from restaurants or your local Illinois seafood market, make sure the mussels don't come from this company.

FDA Warns About Mussels In Illinois

The FDA is advising consumers not to eat, and restaurants and food retailers not to sell and dispose of cultured mussels from East River Shellfish, Inc., based in Glenfinnan, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

This is from the company's harvest from harvest location PE 4-C, harvested on 8/14/2023, and shipped on 8/15/2023 to retailers in Illinois and two others (Massachusetts and New York).

The reason the FDA is advising this is due to the possible presence of Salmonella and E. coli. Not good.

Symptoms of Salmonella infection

The FDA says most people infected with Salmonella will begin to develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness, salmonellosis, usually lasts four to seven days and most people recover without treatment.

Most people with salmonellosis develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps. More severe cases of salmonellosis may include a high fever, aches, headaches, lethargy, a rash, blood in the urine or stool, and in some cases may become fatal.

Symptoms of E. coli infection

E. coli are mostly harmless bacteria that live in the intestines of people and animals and contribute to intestinal health. However, eating or drinking food or water contaminated with certain types of E. coli can cause mild to severe gastrointestinal illness. Some types of pathogenic (illness-causing) E. coli, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), can be life-threatening.

People infected with pathogenic E. coli can start to notice symptoms anywhere from a few days after consuming contaminated food or as many as nine days later. Generally, the symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting.