Japan develops special sushi for pregnant women

Expectant mothers in Japan usually can’t expect to eat sushi, but this could change that.

It’d be a misconception to think that people in Japan eat sushi every day, but it’s still a very common part of the Japanese diet. Between traditional sushi restaurants, conveyor belt sushi joints, and pre-made sushi sets in supermarket seafood sections, it’s always accessible, and with fish and rice both staples of Japanese cuisine, most Japanese people don’t go all that long between sushi meals.

Except, that is, for expectant mothers. Ordinarily, sushi isn’t particularly risky or hard to digest for full-grown adults, but women are generally advised to avoid it during pregnancy, when their immune systems are weakened and raw fish’s comparatively greater chance of contamination demands increased caution.

Having to suppress those sushi cravings isn’t exactly pleasant, especially since it’s ordinarily a pretty healthy food choice that you don’t really have to worry about limiting your intake of. There’s an alternative coming soon, though, as special sushi for pregnant women is about to go on sale.

The idea for Kanetsu Sushi, as the sushi is called, was officially unveiled last fall, when a crowdfunding project was launched seeking funds to develop sushi for pregnant women. That campaign raised 1,113 percent of its target goal, and the result is the sushi seen here.

Kanetsu means “heated,” and that’s the first part of making this sushi pregnancy-friendly. Kanetsu Sushi’s sushi chef carefully selects the cuts of sashimi-grade fish which are then cooked and placed on their blocks of vinegared sushi rice. The pieces are then loaded into a special liquid-based high-speed freezer. The rapid freezing process provides two benefits by minimizing the amount of time the sushi stays at a bacteria-conducive room temperature and reducing the size of the individual ice crystals that form, helping to preserve the food’s flavor during shipping.

The Kanetsu Sushi set is made up of nine pieces: salmon, madai (sea bream), shrimp, kampachi (amberjack), anago (saltwater eel), nodoguro uni (blackthroat seaperch with sea urchin), hotate (scallop), ika (squid), and tamagoyaki (omelet).

The set is priced at 6,900 yen (US$48) and goes on sale November 22 through e-commerce site Shopify.

Source: PR Times via IT Media, Technican
Images: PR Times
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