The question of whether mussels and other bivalves can suffer is scientifically contested, with evidence suggesting they lack the neural architecture required for conscious pain experience.
The scientific consensus, while not unanimous, suggests that bivalves like mussels, oysters, and clams have a very low probability of conscious pain experience given their simple neural architecture. This distinguishes them from fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans, which have substantially more evidence supporting sentience. However, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence — our understanding of consciousness remains incomplete. From a precautionary welfare perspective, production methods that minimize handling stress and ensure rapid death are reasonable even for bivalves. Nutritionally, bivalve consumption offers high protein with very low environmental impact and appears to present minimal welfare risk compared to other animal-sourced foods.