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In a notice on Thursday, March 14, the FDA said the outbreak was caused by oysters sold by Norwalk-based Norm Bloom and Son harvested in February.
Although the FDA did not give many how many people were sickened, they did reveal the contaminated batch was associated with an outbreak in Minnesota.
In the notice, the FDA warned consumers that the oysters were also sold to restaurants and retailers throughout Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas.
The FDA noted the contaminated oysters may have been sold in other states as well.
"The FDA is advising restaurants and food retailers not to serve or sell and consumers not to eat the recalled oysters," the notice said.
Food containing norovirus may look, smell, and taste normal, the FDA said.
The most common symptoms of norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Other symptoms include fever, headache, and body aches.
The FDA said a person usually develops symptoms 12 to 48 hours after being exposed to norovirus. Most people with norovirus illness get better within one to three days.
The FDA is awaiting information on any further interstate distribution of the oysters and will continue to monitor the investigation.
Norm Bloom said in a statement they were notified by the state Department of Agriculture that 12 people had become ill and were reporting symptoms consistent with norovirus.
"These individuals all dined at a single restaurant in Minnesota," Bloom said. "Eight of those 12 individuals had consumed oysters, and two of those were confirmed to have norovirus."
Bloom added that while not all of the individuals who became ill consumed oysters, Minnesota investigators have implicated a single bag of 100 oysters harvested from Westport L207.
"It is important to note that no other states or restaurants have reported illnesses from products sold from the implicated lot or neighboring lots," he added.
Samples collected by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture from the growing area and our facility indicated no evidence of bacteria or viruses present in the growing area or the shellfish tissue at Bloom's facility.
"As always, we have complied with the recall and are cooperating with the authorities, as the safety of our products and the health of our customers and the public is of paramount importance to us," Bloom said.
The investigation continues.
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