The Sushi Council began 2025 with a flurry of activity that included:
- In-person meetings at the Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) and Seafood Expo North America (SENA)
- A SENA panel discussion on the U.S. Market
- Website launch
- New members Nusa Tuna and FRIME
The in-person meetings set the council agenda for the year, focusing on drafting sushi and sashimi grade definitions and addressing product mislabeling.
With input from industry, regulatory agencies and academia, the council seeks to provide consensus and clarity on what constitutes sushi and sashimi grade products, setting guidance parameters.
In addition, the council has created a Product Labeling Task Force, charged with petitioning the FDA to expand its seafood list with traditional and commonly used sushi menu names. Incorporating frequently used though non-recognized nomenclature into the FDA seafood list will correct marketplace confusion and reduce unintentional product mislabeling.
During the SENA conference program, members of the NFI Sushi Council sat on a panel discussing the U.S. Sushi Market. Panelists included Council Chairman Michael McNicholas, Culimer USA, Jeffery Seiler, Advanced Fresh Concepts (AFC) and Mindy Hauge, Whole Foods Market. The conversation centered on the state of sushi performance in end-user segments and continuing sushi growth through product innovation.
The NFI Sushi Council’s virtual home, NFIsushicouncil.com, has launched! The site will act as a central knowledge-bank for sushi resources, educating supply chain actors on food safety, product quality and economic integrity as well as promoting sushi as a healthy and exciting seafood-centric cuisine.
Nusa Tuna and FRIME, respectively Indonesian and Spanish tuna suppliers, have joined the NFI Sushi Council expanding the pre-competitive food safety effort to 28 members.
The council looks forward to continuing its momentum with a full year ahead of championing food safety throughout the sushi value chain.