The NFI Sushi Council Embarks on Inaugural Year

New industry group aims to boost food safety, product integrity

2/20/2024

The new NFI Sushi Council comprises harvesters, processors, distributors, and end users at retail and foodservice, all working to enhance sushi product integrity and promote industry-led food safety.

The National Fisheries Institute (NFI), based in Reston, Va., has formed the NFI Sushi Council. A pre-competitive stakeholder group, the council comprises harvesters, processors, distributors, and end users at retail and foodservice, all 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,” affirmed Council Chairman Michael McNicholas, of frozen seafood provider Culimer USA LLC, which has offices in Torrance, Calif., and Ridgefield, N.J. “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 create and disseminate food safety guidance tailored to sushi’s specialized supply chain. A working group across industry, government and academia has formed under the council’s direction to detail hazards and necessary control measures. The resulting guidance will use existing compliance documents and stakeholder expertise to produce easy-to-understand and accessible resources for seafood professionals working at every link 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,” noted Council Executive Committee member Daryl Gormley, of seafood provider Aquamar, which has offices in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and Carteret, N.J. “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 is scheduled to 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 speak about U.S. sushi market dynamics and the council’s food safety goals.

Companies joining the NFI Sushi Council before April 1 will receive the designation of Founding Council Members. Besides Aquamar and Culimer USA, current founding members are BlueNalu, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Eastern Fish Co., Red Shell Sushi, Shinkei Systems Corp. and True World Foods. Those interested in becoming council members and in attending the Council’s SENA events can contact NFI Sushi Council Liaison Richard Barry at [email protected].