The love for sushi among Americans is on the rise, bringing opportunities for Japanese businesses. Despite tariffs, the Japanese sushi chain, Chiyoda Sushi, will begin exporting frozen sushi to the US starting this spring, which will be sold in supermarkets and other retail stores across America.
The surge in demand for sushi in the US has caused a shortage of sushi chefs, providing Chiyoda Sushi with an opportunity to attract American consumers with ready-to-eat frozen sushi. Chiyoda Sushi is a popular and affordable sushi takeaway chain in Japan.
According to Nikkei Shimbun, in March, Chiyoda Sushi will start production of frozen sushi at a factory in Tokyo, equipped with three freezers covering an area of approximately 215 square meters. The factory’s daily production capacity is 20,000 pieces of sushi. In order to export to the US, the company also plans to apply for the internationally recognized food safety system certification (FSSC 22000) required by US retailers for their sushi supply chain.
Mitsuwa Marketplace, a Japanese supermarket chain based in California, is expected to sell Chiyoda Sushi’s frozen sushi. Initially, Chiyoda Sushi will produce California rolls (traditionally made with imitation crab, avocado, and cucumber), and distribution will be handled through DayBreak, a frozen food distribution startup based in Tokyo.
Chiyoda Sushi claims that the frozen sushi requires no special skills and can be sold as a refrigerated product after thawing for six to seven hours.
Despite tariffs and other costs, US retailers are still willing to sell Japanese-made sushi, as stated by Chiyoda Sushi executives. Chiyoda Sushi plans to sell a set of eight pieces of sushi for less than $20, while roll sushi will be priced at $10 to $12. Locally produced roll sushi in the US typically sells for $16 to $18. In Japan, the company sells a set of eight pieces of sushi for less than 1000 yen.
According to statistics from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, there are currently 29,400 ramen shops and other Japanese restaurants in North America, a 17% growth over the past decade. With Japanese cuisine becoming more popular in the region, an increasing number of consumers are choosing takeaway sushi as a quick meal option. Euromonitor International, a UK market research company, projects that the US takeaway food market, including sushi, will grow by 24% from $129.4 billion in 2024 to 2029.
Takuro Wanami of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Los Angeles office stated, “Sushi has become a staple in the East and West Coast regions as locals often purchase takeaway sushi for lunch or dinner.” He added that with Americans now less willing to dine out and choosing to buy pre-made food at stores as a compromise to combat inflation, Chiyoda Sushi’s new business will also benefit from this trend.
Major US retailer Kroger has sushi counters in many of its stores. Japan’s leading food service company, Zensho Holdings, has acquired two North American sushi takeaway restaurant operators to increase its presence in supermarket sushi counters.