By Courtney Mahoney
The province’s recent ban on raw fish has some Centretown restaurant managers concerned about people’s opinion of sushi.
“People like the perception that sushi has to be fresh not frozen,” says Ssuch Leung, manager at Sushi 88 on Somerset Street West.
The restaurant has always frozen its fish, but with the recent ban, Leung says business has slowed down. He has ordered 25 per cent fewer fish in the last few months, an amount that has cut his weekly delivery in half.
As of Sept. 1 the province has labeled fresh fish as unsafe for consumption and has asked Ontario restaurants to only serve sushi made with previously frozen fish.
“Fish that is intended to be eaten raw must be treated in a manner that will provide insurance that disease organisms, including parasites, are effectively destroyed,” says Dan Strasbourg, spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Health.
“Subjecting raw fish to the cold temperature is considered an acceptable method for the destruction of parasites.”
But some sushi restaurants say this isn’t the only way.
Mike Arai, manager of Suisha Gardens on Slater Street, says there are other ways of ensuring raw fish is safe for consumption.
He says chefs can prepare the fish safely with the use
of ingredients like ginger, wasabi, vinegar and green tea.
Arai says the problem is not in the fish, but rather the employees who handle the meat.
“If people do not have the knowledge about how to handle these fish, then maybe they are just doing it and thinking it is proper,” says Arai.
He says the chefs at Suisha Gardens are trained in Japan
and have taken courses in
sushi preparation.
Arai says the ministry should consider mandatory training courses in how to properly prepare sushi, rather than banning the use of fresh fish.
“The health department should make a course so that all restaurants are operating on the same standard,” says Arai.
“So if whoever is the purchasing person or deciding the quality of the food and handling it has the knowledge, there shouldn’t be a problem,” he adds.
The ministry is studying the health risks associated with eating raw fish.
Strasbourg says the province’s main concern is educating the public and restaurant owners about the possible risks.
“We want to have more of a sense for what can be done to curb the risks associated with eating raw fish while making sure that people who love things like sushi can continue to eat it,” says Strasbourg.
But Leung says this “education” may have caused the public to misunderstand the situation.
“I think the perception is, ‘Oh no they freeze their fish, it’s not fresh anymore,’” says Leung.
“Our customers have been saying a lot of good things about our restaurant,” he adds.
“But then since the ban we haven’t really changed the way we have been doing things.” Yet Leung has noticed a decrease in business.
Strasbourg says the province is not enforcing its new regulations until this education phase is complete.
“For any public health program to really be successful there has to be that element of education there,” he says.
After this three-month consultation period, Strasbourg says the province will better understand how to handle raw fish.
For now though, the ban still affects the bottom-line of sushi restaurants and their customers’ perceptions of safe sushi.