An expert in the seafood industry is issuing a warning about the safety of consuming fish. She says you should always purchase frozen seafood—particularly if you plan to eat it raw.
The third-generation seafood industry professional spoke out after popular food reviewer Keith Lee seemingly ate a piece of sushi with a parasite in it, causing a firestorm against Seattle restaurant FOB Sushi Bar, which has since temporarily closed all locations.
Here’s what the restaurant may have done wrong and how this should influence your at-home fish buying.
What happened to Keith Lee at FOB Sushi Bar?
A Keith Lee video went more viral than usual after viewers noticed what looked like a worm wriggling out of the corner of a piece of sushi he was taste testing. (If you’re curious, it’s at minute 1:50.)
For a few days neither Lee, who’s video now has more than 18 million views, nor the restaurant made any comments regarding Wormgate. But three days ago FOB Sushi Bar broke their silence.
In an Instagram post, they denied that Lee’s food was contaminated. They said they follow Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for handling and serving raw fish.
They claimed that “the movement observed in the fish may result from natural elasticity or the pressure of chopsticks when applied to its structure.”
FOB Sushi Bar’s public statement wasn’t well received, with people accusing them of gaslighting the public and not taking accountability.
The day after FOB Sushi Bar’s statement, customer Joshua Rivera posted a viral video with more than 2 million views. It shows that his girlfriend had allegedly been in the hospital for a week after eating at FOB Sushi Bar.
Following FOB Sushi Bar’s statement and the hospitalization video, Lee spoke out, saying he was only doing so because he saw someone was hospitalized after eating at the same place.
“I don’t believe in tearing down any business. But at the same time, people’s health is on the line. So if someone is saying they’re in the hospital and there’s something moving in food, I absolutely think there’s accountability that should be taken and it’s something that you can learn from it,” Lee said.
A few hours after Lee’s second video went up, FOB Sushi Bar issued another statement. They’d be shutting down two of their locations “until further notice” pending an internal investigation.
Here’s the Keith Lee and FOB Sushi saga timeline
Nov. 10: Keith Lee posts a review of FOB Sushi Bar
Nov. 15: FOB Sushi Bar makes its first statement defending their fish quality
Nov. 16: Customer posts video of girlfriend hospitalized after eating at the sushi restaurant
Nov. 17: Keith Lee addresses hospitalization and responds to FOB Sushi Bar’s statement
Later Nov. 17/Early Nov. 18: FOB Sushi Bar states they are shutting down two of their locations pending an internal investigation
How can you protect yourself when eating raw fish?
In a viral video that has more than 2.4 million views, influencer Christina (@conscious_christina), whose family owns a wholesale fish distribution company, weighs in. She works at the South Florida wholesale seafood distribution business, which her family has owned for 47 years.
“The majority of the restaurants we sell our seafood to are sushi restaurants, so I feel I’m uniquely qualified to speak on this,” Christina says.
Christina says that the movement of what was on the sushi did resemble a parasite, but she couldn’t say for sure since she wasn’t there.
Assuming it was a parasite, that would mean the restaurant or its fish distributor is not following FDA regulations regarding the safe serving of raw fish or the restaurant is serving fresh, never frozen seafood.
While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate the term “sushi-grade,” it does have guidelines for properly handling fish for raw consumption. To get the “Parasite Destruction Guarantee,” most fish must be frozen to either of the following after being caught, as listed by the Webstaurant Store:
- Freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours
- Freezing and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time)
- Freezing at an ambient temperature of -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at an ambient temperature of -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours
The only exceptions are farm-raised salmon and tuna species, Christina says. She confirmed in an email to the Daily Dot that “there are exceptions to the freezing rule when it comes to fish which exempts tuna, aquacultured salmon, and molluscan shellfish.”
“Ultimately, the responsibility for serving raw fish safely and making sure that it is sushi grade, appropriately frozen, and safe for consumption is on the restaurant establishment itself,” Christina adds.
If you’re ever uneasy or just curious about the fish at a restaurant, Christina says you’re well within your rights as a customer to politely ask if they’re buying their fish fresh or frozen.
“If they say they buy it fresh, then maybe consider having your sushi somewhere else,” Christina says.
And for at-home consumption, she always recommends getting frozen fish.
What is a parasite in seafood?
A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a plant or animal (the host). They get all of their nutrients by leeching them from the host. Since they need their host for survival, they rarely kill it, but they do often carry life-threatening diseases, the Cleveland Clinic reports.
“Classically, wild-caught fish could have issues with live parasites,” Matthew Stasiewicz, associate professor of applied food safety at the University of Illinois, told the Kitchn. “That [is] part of the risk associated with sushi.”
@conscious_christina My hot take on the keith lee parasite video #parasites #sushigrade #rawseafood #seafoodfacts @Keith Lee ♬ original sound – Christina Z
Eating raw or undercooked fish with parasites can lead to a host of side effects. This includes diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, and chills. Depending on the type of parasite you contract, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics, antiparasitic drugs, shampoo, or ointment.
Natural remedies involve beets, carrots, fiber, raw garlic, honey, pumpkin seeds, vitamin C, and drinking a whole lotta water.
According to the Daily Mail, worm reports in sushi are rare in the U.S. Only about 10 annually are reported.
The Daily Dot reached out to Christina for comment via email and TikTok direct message.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
