Japan stocks plummet as teens lick sushi at restaurants

In Japan, sushi is part of the food culture – chains that serve their sushi on a conveyor belt are especially popular: customers simply grab the plates that appeal to them most. It is precisely this popular concept that is now being adapted in some places. The reason: countless videos cause the hygiene in the restaurants to be questioned.

In the videos, which reach a wide audience on social media under the hashtag #sushitero and #sushiterrorism, the sushi is picked up with the hands and put back on the belt or the bottle of soy sauce is licked on the table.

The youngsters seem afraid of getting caught – the young man in the video above nervously looks around looking for a member of staff before launching into another bacterial attack.

The jokes have drastic consequences for sushi chains “Sushiro”, “Kura Sushi” and “Hamazushi”: a Japanese sales expert predicts that these videos will delay sales by six months. As “CNN” continues to write, shares of “Sushiro’s” parent company fell 4.8 percent on Tuesday.

The company acted against this by filing a complaint with the police. The perpetrators are said to have apologized in the meantime and restaurant staff have been instructed to provide critical customers with disinfection equipment if they are not feeling well. The Hamazushi restaurant chain also filed a report with the police.

Japan places great importance on hygiene, in restaurants and everywhere else. Even before the corona pandemic, wearing a mask was perfectly normal to contain disease. The pandemic has exacerbated the situation – especially as Japan is now experiencing particularly high numbers of corona cases.

Japan is experiencing déjà vu: as early as 2013, similar videos sparked a debate about food safety. Customers are again demanding stricter hygiene checks at sushi restaurants on the assembly line on social media.

As a result, sushi chains have now taken steps to regain the trust of their customers. For example, «Sushiro» has started to serve only ordered food on the conveyor belt, and acrylic plates have been installed between the seats and the conveyor belt. Another chain, “Kura Sushi”, relies on artificial intelligence monitoring: it must be able to recognize when a customer touches the sushi and puts it back on the conveyor belt.

(ann)