February 20, 2024 — The following was released by the National Fisheries Institute:
The National Fisheries Institute is pleased to announce the formation of the NFI Sushi Council. A pre-competitive stakeholder group, the Sushi Council is made up of harvesters, processors, distributors, and end-users at retail and foodservice working to enhance sushi product integrity and promote industry-led food safety.
“Sushi has achieved household status and is a major contributor to U.S. seafood consumption,” Chairman Michael McNicholas, of Culimer USA LLC, said. “The surge in popularity of raw and ready-to-eat products needs to be met with a similarly robust industry voice that advocates and advances the highest standard of handling and preparation for seafood destined for the sushi market.”
The NFI Sushi Council will develop and distribute food safety guidance tailored to sushi’s specialized supply chain. A working group combining industry, government, and academia has formed under the Council’s direction to detail hazards and needed control measures. The resulting guidance will draw on existing compliance documents and stakeholder expertise to produce plainspoken and accessible resources for seafood professionals working in every step of the value chain from fish farms and processing facilities all the way to the sushi counter.
“We rely on strong partnerships throughout sushi’s global supply line,” said Council Executive Committee member Daryl Gormley of AquaMar. “Our goal is to maintain a superior product from harvest to final preparation, and we’re recruiting partners to join this effort now.”
The NFI Sushi Council will next meet in Boston at the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) on Sunday, March 10, at 8:30 a.m. NFI Sushi Council’s Executive Committee will host a panel on March 11 at 2:45 p.m. during the SENA Conference Program to discuss U.S. sushi market dynamics and the council’s food safety mission.
Companies joining the NFI Sushi Council before April 1, 2024, will receive the designation of Founding Council Members. Current founding members include Aquamar, BlueNalu, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Culimer USA LLC, Eastern Fish Company, Red Shell Sushi, Shinkei Systems Corp and True World Foods.
Those interested in Council membership and in attending the Council’s SENA events can contact NFI Sushi Council Liaison Richard Barry, rbarry@nfi.org.