To: Seafood HACCP Listserv
On April 30, 2001 there was an inquiry regarding raw fish for sushi and
parasite hazards.
The inquiry was forwarded to Dr. Ann Adams (US Food and Drug
Administration), who is not subscribed to this listserv. Dr. Adams
responded directly to the inquirer, and is sharing her response with the
rest of the seafood HACCP listserv community.
Regards,
Pamela Tom, Listserv Co-owner
-----Original Message-----
From: Adams, Ann M
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 11:27 AM
To: 'takahagi@mail.jfc.com'
Subject: Sushi and sashimi
Dear Tsuyako:
FDA has some regulations for processors and others that require
them to consider hazards posed by parasites. If they have reasonable
knowledge that their product will be used in a raw or undercooked form,
they must deal with the parasites. This is usually done by freezing.
What this regulation means is that if a processor or distributor sells
fish to a grocery store with the intent that the consumer would cook the
fish, the processor or distributor does not have to consider the hazards
posed by parasites. However, if they sold to a sushi restaurant, then
parasites must be considered.
There are some exclusions for particular fish species found to
have a negligible risk of transmitting parasites. Primarily, those are
the larger tunas, such as the yellowfin and bluefin. Skipjack tuna are
not exempt.
At the present time, these regulations are not being enforced as
FDA reconsiders the risks associated with the raw fish products, but since
the enforcement can be re-instituted at any time, I would suggest that any
company proceed as if the regulations are in force.
As for sushi and sashimi, I suggest the following: maguro, made
from the deep flesh of the tuna is essentially safe to eat raw and
unfrozen. However, salmon has a high probability of having anisakid
nematodes and most of the infections in the US that occurred from the
consumption of sushi involved salmon. Therefore, I strongly suggest that
regardless of the status of the regulations, the salmon intended for sushi
or sashimi be frozen beforehand. Other types of sushi and sashimi may
also pose hazards because of the larval nematodes. Sushi made from
mackerel has a good chance of having the worms and should be frozen first.
"Shiromi" is usually made from sea bass in Japan, but in the US, the
shiromi may be made from rockfish (Pacific snapper). This latter fish
should be frozen before use. In general, I'm very selective about the
types of sushi that I will eat and there are those that I want frozen
before they are used in sushi. The texture is changed slightly by the
freezing, but it beats having an endoscope down your throat to remove the
worms. (No, if you get infected with the anisakid nematodes, there are no
drugs available to treat the infection. They must be removed by
endoscopy.)
Hope this answers your questions. If not, please feel free to
contact me and I'll see what I can do for you.
Ann Adams, Ph.D.
Parasitologist
E-mail: AAdams@ORA.FDA.GOV
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