A Hong Kong location of popular Japanese chain Gatten Sushi has apologised after a customer spotted a threadlike parasite crawling out of a piece of sashimi, triggering widespread food safety concerns across social media.
The sushi restaurant debuted in the city in September 2024. It issued an apology on social media on Tuesday after footage of the incident at its Causeway Bay branch went viral.
The video, shared by a diner on Threads, shows a thin, white parasite emerging from a piece of golden eye snapper sashimi during the diner’s visit to the outlet last Friday. The user who posted the clip expressed relief that they had noticed the parasite before eating.
“Luckily, I was planning to take a photo first, and that is when I saw it crawling out,” the social media user wrote.
The diner confirmed that they had reported the matter to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department via email.
The footage triggered a heated debate online, with some social media users expressing horror and a new-found fear of raw seafood.
Others noted that such parasites were an inherent risk when ordering high-end, airfreighted raw fish, such as Sakura trout and bonito.
In a statement released on Instagram on Tuesday, Gatten Sushi emphasised its commitment to its “processed in-store” freshness policy but acknowledged the distress caused by the discovery: “Acknowledging that the incident has sparked food safety concerns among customers, the company expresses deep regret and apologises for any resulting inconvenience.”
To address safety concerns, the chain said that it had immediately disposed of all golden eye snapper products across its branches and suspended imports of the affected batch.
The company also pledged to strengthen internal management and minimise risks by increasing the frequency of visual inspections, reinforcing staff training, and reviewing all operational stages from procurement to table service.
On Tuesday, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said officers had inspected the restaurant and confirmed that the affected product had been withdrawn and discarded.
Investigators found no safety issues with other food stocks.
The department said it would continue its investigation and pursue prosecution if it uncovered sufficient evidence.
