Health officials are investigating a possible norovirus outbreak after dozens of people fell ill after eating raw oysters at the LA Times' 101 Best Restaurants event.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health confirmed that more than 80 people who attended the annual event, which features some of the area's most famous and popular restaurants, reported falling ill with symptoms including diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting.
The illnesses appear to be linked to raw oysters provided at the Dec. 3 event that have since been recalled, according to a public health spokesperson.
The dozens of illnesses reported at the event came just days before the California Department of Public Health on Dec. 13 issued a warning not to eat raw oysters harvested in British Columbia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has since issued a warning to restaurants and retailers not to sell the oysters due to possible norovirus contamination. The warning affected restaurants and retailers in several states, and the company that supplied the oysters issued an urgent recall, warning consumers not to eat them.
The oysters were supplied by Fanny Bay Oysters, according to Los Angeles Times spokeswoman Hillary Manning. The oysters were sourced by Santa Monica Seafood, a sponsor of the event, and delivered to one of the restaurants on the Top 101 Restaurants list, Manning said.
News of the possible outbreak was first reported by LA Taco.
Like previous events hosted by the Los Angeles Times, Manning said all safety protocols were followed for the event.
“We have hosted culinary events for many years and take food safety very seriously,” he wrote in an email. “As is the case with each of our events, we had protocols in place and, according to an inspection by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, we were in compliance with all relevant safety standards. “We also know the care each chef and restaurant takes when preparing and serving food to our community.”
Without specific testing, a vendor or restaurant has no way to detect norovirus because it does not affect the taste, smell, or appearance of oysters.
The Los Angeles Times first learned that some people at the event got sick on December 11. Company officials, who did not know the cause, referred people to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. On Dec. 12, the public health department contacted The Times about a group of people who had reported getting sick.
There were people who attended the event who reported not having seen any type of notice or alert from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Jamie Clegg, who bought two tickets to the event, said she never saw a notice in her email.
“I didn't receive anything, unless it inadvertently turned into spam,” he said.
He attended the event with a friend who works at the LA Times, he said, and that person received an email from county health officials notifying them about the cluster of illnesses and asking them to answer an anonymous questionnaire.
The oysters served Dec. 3 were part of a batch of Fanny Bay Select and Fanny Bay XS oysters recalled from Pacific Northwest Shellfish Co., which were packaged Nov. 25, the county public health spokesperson said.
The outbreak is still under investigation.
According to the FDA, a person infected with the virus could experience symptoms for 12 to 48 hours.
