Report: Popular L.A. Sushi Isn't Safe

KCAL9 ^ | Mar 6, 2006 6:45 am US/Pacific

[BenLurkin]

(CBS) LOS ANGELES The safety of tuna sushi has been questioned by a public health advocacy group that performed tests on the delicacy from Los Angeles restaurants, it was reported Monday.

In January, GotMercury.org purchased sushi from five top Zagat-rated restaurants in Southern California, as well as from the Benihana Inc. chain, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The organization had the fish tested at CRG Marine Laboratories in Torrance, according to the newspaper.

The mercury levels in the 12 tuna samples averaged double the Food and Drug Administration’s standard, and a quarter of the orders were near or above the limit where the agency says fish should not be old, Eli Saddler, a public health analyst and attorney for GotMercury.org, told The Times.

"Eating sushi has become the new Russian roulette," said Saddler, whose client questioned the FDA’s system of monitoring the mercury levels in fish. "Our testing shows a pattern of mercury levels being significantly higher than what the FDA reports."

The samples came from some of Southern California's most popular restaurants -- Matsuhisa, Sushi Katsu-ya, Sushi Sasabune, HamaSaku, Sushi Nozawa and Benihana, according to The Times.

Small amounts of mercury can be found in nearly all fish and the chemical is linked to reduced brain development in fetuses and young children

[Mike Darancette]

Looks safe to me....

Don't lick your plate.

[andyk]

A group called gotmercury, finding mercury lurking in a consumer product!

LOL, nice one.

[Evie Munchkin]

I once read an article about a guy who ate sushi and then had to treated for worms. It was quite disgusting how he found out he had the worms. I have never tried sushi thanks to that article. Yuck!

[goldstategop]

Are these the same Food Nazis who lecture to us about how highly processed foods are bad for our health? And now they're going after sushi! Go figure.

(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")

[Mike Darancette]

I have never tried sushi thanks to that article. Yuck!

You can have vegetarian sushi or have smoked salmon which is really good.

[digger48]

A handy place to dispose of your chopsticks, though.

[Galveston Grl]

Before they told you not to eat processed food and sushi they told you to substitute margarine for butter. :)

[bessay]

This group's mission is to protect sea turtles, so they are trying to damage the demand for tuna. Tuna fishing hurts sea turtles. They are also trying to protect salmon. They don't care about people at all.

[pogo101]

For a real kick, try the fugu.

[silverleaf]

Found Nemo. It wasn't mercury that got him!

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

You can have vegetarian sushi or have smoked salmon which is really good.

I tried smoked salmon once, it was too hard to keep lit!

Regards,
GtG

[airedale]

I've eaten in both Sushi Katsu-ya and Sushi Nozawa and you can't find much better sushi anywhere in the country. Sushi Nozawa in Studio City was written up a few years ago in the New York Times which dubbed Nozawa as the Sushi Nazi. You have to trust him in what you are served (I've never been disappointed). He serves no trendy dishes. His sushi is traditional only. He also tosses people out for violating his rules. A couple years ago two men were at one of the tables with the business papers spread out working on a deal. Nozawa went over to them and told them to put the paperwork away. This is a restaurant not an office. They put it away. A few minutes latter they got the paperwork out again. He tossed them out immediately. He's also been pretty nasty to people who insist on trendy dishes. In fact they usually don't come back. That said his restaurant is packed every day for both lunch and dinner and it's worth it.

[kstewskis]

You can have vegetarian sushi or have smoked salmon which is really good.

The cooked ibi (shrimp) or anago (sea eel) is excellent too.

I luuuuuuv the salmon skin roll! (also cooked).

[wittyone]

The cooked ibi (shrimp) or anago (sea eel) is excellent too.

The most delicious surprise I've ever encountered in a sushi restaurant was at Fujiyama's in Prescott, AZ, when the waitress suggested to us (we were regulars there) that we try the hamachi (yellowtail) cheek. It was the most awesome cooked fish I've had in my entire life.

[william clark]

This is why I only eat sushi if it's been baked or fried.

[Radix]

Eating Sushi is bad for children and other living things!

[1rudeboy]

Generally speaking (and I am not an expert), the fattier the fish, the higher the level of mercury.

[VadeRetro]

Me love sushi long time.

Anyway, the wasabi kills the mercury. Or is it the beer that does that?

There's iron in seaweed, so that's good. And there are good omeaga-3 fatty acids in the fish fats.

So you get a little mercury. You can tell the temperature without carrying a thermometer around.

[dighton]

Now there’s your Russian roulette.

[Alouette]

No, that's Japanese roulette.