Japan’s sushi industry, concerned about the reputation of its national cuisine, will next month launch a certification campaign for foreign sushi chefs, an industry group said Monday.
Similar campaigns to certify authentic sushi overseas were previously criticized as an attempt to impose a “sushi police,” but the All-Japan Sushi Federation said the latest effort was aimed at promoting hygiene.
“Most restaurants overseas make sushi dishes in the same kitchen as those preparing meat,” said leading sushi chef Masayoshi Kazato, who devised the certification system. “It gets unhygienic if you deal with raw saltwater fish in a kitchen without water running constantly for cleaning.”
Concern was mounting among sushi chefs in Japan that, if food poisoning repeatedly occurred in the world because of a lack of proper knowledge and techniques, sushi could get branded as a dangerous food, he added.
The group, which represents sushi restaurants in Japan, plans to hold its first seminar in Singapore between Jan. 26 and Jan. 27 — with similar seminars to be held later in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
“Japan created sushi 200 years ago to eat raw fish deliciously and safely when they did not have a refrigerator,” the chef said. “I want professional chefs to know how much knowledge is needed if they want to serve raw fish.”