Mulberry facility licensed to irradiate oysters

A food facility in Mulberry, Florida has become the first in the nation to be licensed to irradiate raw oysters. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced Friday that the department's Division of Aquaculture has licensed Food Technology Services Incorporated in Mulberry to use irradiation to produce safer oyster products. Irradiation can reduce certain potentially harmful bacteria like Vibrio vulnificus and researchers say it does it without altering the flavor and appearance of the live, raw oysters. The oysters are simply pre-packaged on pallets that are directly exposed for a very short time to a very specific and controlled amount of radiation that selectively kills certain types and amounts of bacteria. Vibrio vulnificus is a naturally occurring marine bacterium found in oysters and seawater during warmer months. It has caused serious illnesses and death in a very small number of consumers with high risk conditions such as chronic illness of the liver, stomach, blood or immune disorders. Food Technology Services Incorporated is the first facility in the nation that has been formally recognized to use the irradiation process since the original approval was issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2005.