Food Safety

Health risks associated with sushi arise from: (1) raw seafood products used in preparation (2) acidified sushi rice -Raw seafood may contain the infective form of parasites (Anisakinae and diphylobothrium) Sushi rice is traditionally held at room temperature which may support the growth of pathogenic bacteria if not uniformly and adequately acidified. Food operators must ensure that sushi is kept at 5 degrees celcius of below during transport, storage and display.

Cooked rice with vinegar added to achieve a pH of 4.6 or less

A source that has been determined to conform to principles, practices and standards that protect public health.

Means the transfer of harmful substances or disease-causing micro-organisms to food by hands, food-contact surfaces, sponges, cloth towels and utensils that touch raw food, are not cleaned, and then touch RTE foods. Cross-contamination can also occur when raw food touches or drips onto cooked or RTE foods.

Any food that consists in whole or part of milk or milk products, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, edible crustacea, or other ingredients, including synthetic ingredients, in a form capable of supporting rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic micro-organisms, but does not include foods which have a pH level of 4.6 or below or water activity of 0.85 o less.

RTE cooked rice that has been acidified with vinegar solution and formed with a variety of ingredients, including raw or cooked seafood, fresh chopped vegetables, cooked egg, etc. Product forms can include: (1) nigiri (2) maki rolls (3) hand rolls

Freezing & storing seafood @ -20 degrees C or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at -35 degrees C or -below until solid and storing at -35 degrees C or -below for 15 hours, or freezing at -35 degrees C or -below until solid and storing at -20 degrees C or below for 24 hours

(1) Obtain seafood only from an approved, reputable source (2) When purchasing frozen seafood products, request written documentation from the supplier to ensure the product meets parasite reduction freezing requirements (3) it is advisable to maintain a list of food suppliers, in case they need to be contacted. (4) For all foods, the label or receipt must contain details of suppliers' names, addresses, and phone contact details. (5) Only receive foods that are within their use by date or best before date (6) items that do not meet receipt requirements should be returned to the supplier (7) retain seafood tags for a minimum of 90 days. For Ready-Made Sushi (1) Only receive sushi that has been transported in refrigerated vehicles (2) always check the temperature of sushi for batch received. Must be less than 4 degrees C (3) Once, received, sushi must be kept refrigerated at 4 degrees C or less (4) Sushi must be covered during receipt and storage to protect against contamination

Equipment & Utensils (1) Wooden utensils must not be used for food preparation (Exception: bamboo mats). All utensil must be able to be easily cleaned. (2) Only clean and sanitized equipment must be used when preparing sushi. (3) It is recommended that prior to preparation, all benches and utensils which come in contact with the sushi and ingredients are sanitized (4) Sushi rolling machines must be periodically cleaned and sanitized during the day to remove the build-up of rice and destroy pathogenic bacteria. Other utensils and equipment will also need to be periodically cleaned to remove build-up of rice and other ingredients. (5) Boards and utensils must be cleaned and sanitized between uses, especially when preparing foods that will not be further cooked (e.g. raw fish and cooked teriyaki chicken) (6) Bamboo and plastic mats must be cleaned and sanitized daily. If bamboo mats are used then it is recommended that they be covered with clean cling wrap and the cling wrap changed at least every 2 hous.

(1) Rice must be cooked before acidification. The rice must be cooled rapidly to 4 degrees C from the time it has been taken out of the rice cooler and logged for review. (2) Proper preparation of acidified rice is important to ensure the rice is safe to use. Rice acidified to a pH of less than 4.6 will inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Acidification of rice should occur as soon as possible after cooking. (3) The pH of the rice is to be checked to ensure proper acidification has occurred. Once acidified, the rice must be stored covered when not being used. (4) Acidified rice can be stored up to 8 hours and at the end of the day, the remaining rice must be discarded. *If rice is not acidified, it must be stored under refrigeration at or below 4 degrees C

(1) All potentially hazardous raw materials should be kept under refrigeration until used, esp. raw fish. (2) frozen foods are to be thawed under refrigeration, in a microwave oven or under cold running water (3) Vegetables must be washed under running potable water before use (4) meat and chicken must be thoroughly cooked to correct internal temperatures. (5) Prepare potentially hazardous ingredients (e.g. cooked chicken, tamago) must be placed under refrigeration after cooked and when not being used. (6) Once prepared, sushi should be placed under refrigeration

Sushi Bars (1) Display cabinets must include doors to protect food from the likelihood of contamination (Display cabinets will not effectively reduce the temperature of prepared sushi) (2) When not in use, doors on the display cabinet must be closed. (3) Either each roll or batch must be able to be identified. (4) Display cabinets must be cleaned and sanitized at the end of the day. (5) All equipment (e.g. containers or utensils) used for handling sushi must be kept clean at all times and sanitized at the end of the day. Sushi Conveyer System (1) All plates on a conveyer must be covered to protect from contamination (2) All plates must be able to be traced to a batch. (3) After they have been used, all plates and lids must be cleaned and sanitized (4) individually packaged wasabi and pickled ginger should be provided to prevent cross-contamination

it is a process that uses high-heat or ultra-violet light to kill harmful organisms that can cause disease while maintaining the nutritional properties of the product and allowing them to be shelf-stable.

are those packaged in cans, bottles and juice boxes (found unrefrigerated on grocery store shelves)

is a food preservation method that is done by placing foods in jars or containers and heating them to a temperature that destroys micro-organisms that cause food to spoil. In essence, it increases the shelf-stability of the product. This can be done with heat treatment alone or in combination with a controlling the ph and water activity.