Beyond Nigiri and Anisakiasis, The Tale of Sushi: History and Regulation

Abstract

This paper is an exploration of the history of sushi consumption in the United States and how the ingredients of sushi are regulated. The paper delineates the course of sushi’s culinary history in Japan, and will attempt to present an overview on the incremental process by which sushi as a cuisine evolved from a humble street food with scarce recognition to an immensely sophisticated popular cuisine in Japan and America. After describing and analyzing the historical background of sushi, the paper will present the underpinnings of the confounding set of etiquettes that center the art of consuming sushi. This paper will also examine sushi as an exemplary form of successful, multi-directional product of globalization. It is intriguing to observe sushi as a circulating global commodity that internalizes and promotes regional dietary preferences and cultural practices. The second half of the paper will discuss both the health benefits and health hazards associated with the sushi cuisine. While the seafood, seaweed, and seasoning involved with eating sushi have high nutritional value, sushi consumers need to be aware of the perilous nature of mercury poisoning and the biological contaminants that are embedded in improperly processed sushi fish. The FDA’s current consumer advisory scheme on mercury poisoning is incomprehensive, conflicts with the guidelines that EPA delineates, and its inspection and surveillance guidelines are in practice difficult to enforce. The last section of the paper will trace the development of the Seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Plan (HACCP) and compare its prospective policy visions and practical guidelines with the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department’s (FEHD) Sushi Surveillance Guidelines.