"Used Discarded Tuna and Salmon"... Controversy Over Japanese Sushi Chain with Annual Sales of 1 Trillion Won

Japan's 2nd Largest Sushi Chain Faces Ingredient Safety Controversy
Netizens "Used to Frequent This Place, Disappointed"

A major Japanese conveyor belt sushi franchise has sparked a significant controversy locally after it was revealed that they used expired ingredients to prepare food.

According to local media including Jiji Press on the 10th, the Japanese conveyor belt sushi franchise "Hamasushi" admitted on its official website on the 7th that at one of its locations in Gomiyama City, Fukushima Prefecture, it provided customers with salmon and tuna that should have been discarded, violating internal expiration date guidelines.

[Image source=Pixabay]

The controversy arose after employees working at the store exposed the issue at the end of last month. The employees claimed, "Expired ingredients have been openly used by 'label switching,'" and "Such violations also occurred with side menu items like fried foods." They stated that sushi ingredients such as tuna and salmon, which did not show visible discoloration, were used by simply changing the "expiration date label." Subsequently, Hamasushi conducted an internal investigation and confirmed that these allegations were true.

Hamasushi stated, "The expiration dates set internally are shorter than the actual expiration dates," but also said, "Using ingredients past their expiration date violates internal regulations." They emphasized, "No customers who dined at the affected location have experienced any health issues."

Local netizens who learned of the news responded with comments such as, "Other stores besides the problematic one should be investigated. It’s disappointing as this was a place I frequented often," "There have been hygiene terror issues at conveyor belt sushi restaurants before, but now it’s a fuss over 'label switching.' Such behavior will cause tourists to stop visiting Japanese sushi restaurants," and "The head office must take strict action."

Meanwhile, Hamasushi is a large local franchise operating 575 stores nationwide. In terms of number of stores, it ranks second after Sushiro. Hamasushi, also popular among overseas tourists, is known to generate annual sales exceeding 100 billion yen.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.