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Safe Sushi

What is Sushi?

Sushi is a traditional Japanese dish. Two common types are Nori and Nigri. Nori are rolls of seaweed enclosing cooked rice, raw or cooked meat, seafood or vegetables. Nigri is rice topped with a piece of raw or smoked seafood and served without seaweed.

What is the issue?

Sushi is often displayed for sale at room temperature in plastic containers on shop counters, in cabinets or on a sushi ‘train’ (like a conveyor belt). Because sushi combines both raw and cooked ingredients that are handled frequently, and room temperature is an ideal condition for harmful bugs (pathogens) to grow, this can lead to concerns that sushi is a high risk food.

Why isn’t sushi refrigerated?

While refrigerating sushi would reduce pathogen growth, cool temperatures compromise the quality, texture and taste of the product, and people don’t like to eating sushi that has been refrigerated. Therefore alternative safety measures are used to make sushi as safe as possible.

Which bugs might be present in sushi?

Bacteria such as Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus are commonly associated with cooked rice, and can grow to dangerous levels if the rice is not chilled quickly. Ingredients can also become contaminated if they are stored alongside uncovered raw meat, if food handlers have poor hand hygiene, or there is a general lack of kitchen cleanliness. Salmonella, Campylobacter, Vibrio and Hepatitis A can spread onto food this way. People at most risk of illness are those with low immunity (for example if you suffer from a chronic medical condition, or are pregnant.)

How can I tell if the product is contaminated?

There is no way of telling - it may well look, taste or smell normal.

What does NZFSA do about sushi safety?

NZFSA makes sure that food businesses comply with safety regulations to keep food as safe as possible. Businesses either follow the Food Hygiene Regulations 1974 in which case their premises are inspected by the local Councils, or develop their own Food Safety Programmes which must be approved by NZFSA and independently audited.

Food safety programmes identify stages of production where controls can make a difference to the levels of pathogens in food. To make sushi rice as safe as possible without refrigeration, in a safety plan based on the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) principles there are at least two safety measures. One is to ensure the cooked rice is cooled quickly by spreading it into shallow trays. Another involves making the rice acidic by adding specific amounts of vinegar. Both measures significantly reduce the growth of pathogens. However if the sushi is consumed within four hours of cooking the rice, the emphasis on the need to cool rice quickly and add vinegar, is reduced.

If in doubt, ask the retailer about the conditions under which the sushi was made and stored.