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Sushi Safety
Parasite Destruction:
Sushi Rice:
WAC 246-215-03425, WAC 246-215-03430
Certain types of raw fish may contain parasites that
could make consumers ill if they eat it.
The following steps must be taken before service or sale
in the ready-to-eat form, raw, raw-marinated, partiallycooked, or marinated partially-cooked fish other than
molluscan shellfish:
1. The fish must be frozen and stored at a
temperature of -4°F or below for seven days in a
freezer; or,
2. The fish must be frozen at -31°F or below until
solid and stored at -31°F for 15 hours; or,
3. The fish must be frozen at -31°F or below until
solid and stored at -4°F or below for a minimum
of 24 hours.
Establishment must have this information documented,
kept on file for 90 days beyond the time of service or
sale of the fish, and available for the regulatory authority
for review.
If the fish comes in frozen from the supplier, there must
be documentation on the invoice or a statement from the
supplier indicating that fish was frozen to the proper
temperatures for the required time frame for parasite
destruction.
Once rice is cooked it is considered a potentiallyhazardous food (PHF). Establishments that wish to
serve sushi rice at room temperature must comply with
the following steps:
1. The establishment must have an approved written
Time as a Public Health Control procedure to be
maintained at the establishment and made available
to the regulatory authority upon request including the
following information:
a. The sushi rice shall be marked or otherwise
identified to indicate the time that is four
hours past the point in time when the sushi
rice was removed from temperature control
(the time the rice was removed from the rice
cooker or the rice cooker was shut off).
b. Once the four hour time limit (or a time less
than four hours as specified in the written
procedure) has been met, any remaining
rice must be discarded.
2. Alternatively, the establishment may apply for a
variance and have their sushi rice recipe tested to
determine that it is a non-potentially hazardous food.
The following fish may be served or sold in a raw, rawmarinated, or partially-cooked ready-to-eat form without
freezing requirements:
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Thunnus alalunga
Thunnus albacares (Yellowfin tuna)
Thunnus atlanticus
Thunnus maccoyii (Bluefin tuna, Southern)
Thunnus obesus (Bigeye tuna) or
Thunnus thynnus (Bluefin tuna, Northern)
Farmed fish under certain conditions
April 2013
Sushi Safety (continued)
Cross Contamination:
Consumer Advisory:
Proper procedures must be in place to avoid cross
contamination between raw and ready-to-eat foods.
A consumer advisory consisting of a disclosure and
reminder must be posted on the menu notifying the
consumer that certain ready-to-eat foods pose a health
risk because the foods are not processed to eliminate
pathogens.
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A separate knife and cutting board must be used
for sushi containing raw fish and sushi containing
other ingredients. If this cannot be done, utensils
and cutting boards must be washed, rinsed, and
sanitized between preparation of sushi containing
raw fish and sushi containing other ingredients to
reduce the risk of cross contamination.
Raw meat should be stored below and away from
ready-to-eat foods.
A separate sanitizing bucket must be used for raw
meat products and another sanitizer for all other
foods.
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Barriers must be used when handling ready-to-eat
foods (i.e., gloves, tongs, spoons, etc.)
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Gloves must be changed whenever they are
contaminated, and hands must be washed prior to
putting on new gloves. If a chef is handling raw fish
for a sushi roll, they would be required to change
gloves and wash hands prior to making a sushi roll
containing other ingredients or handling a ready-toeat food product.
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Disclosure – discloses which foods on the menu
may be served raw or undercooked.
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Reminder- reminds the consumer of the health
risk associated with eating these foods.
Example Consumer Advisory:
Tuna Sushi*
*Are served raw or undercooked. Consuming raw or
undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs
may increase your risk of foodborne illness.
April 2013