Hissho Sushi, the second-largest U.S. sushi provider, officially announces that 100% of the seafood used in their products is responsibly sourced. Whether it's wild-caught or sustainably farmed, from Asia or South America, Canada or Indonesia, all of Hissho's sushi is transparently certified sustainable by an independent third party and traceable to producers and vendors that comply with strict standards for food safety and quality.

Hissho Sushi buys and sells only the highest quality sushi ingredients and makes premium sushi accessible and affordable to everyone. As one of the country's largest sushi distributors, Hissho Sushi serves up to 80,000 pounds of seafood per week, 175 tons per month and more than 2,000 tons of seafood per year to create premium rolls and other menu items. Hissho's premium sushi can be found across the U.S. in more than 2,000 locations including airports, university campuses, hospitals and national grocery retailers.

"Responsible sourcing generates positive, long-term impact for our consumers, our industry and the environment," Dan Beem, Hissho CEO, said. "While we've taken dedicated steps over the last few years to get here, I'm proud of our employees, vendors, and franchisees for helping strengthen our resolve to reach our 2023 sustainability goal. It's a standard that aligns with our corporate identity to inspire all to be great and do well, and as an industry leader, it's simply our responsibility."

Premium sushi consumers can trust

Hissho Sushi joined forces with the Resiliensea Group, an advisory firm dedicated to helping the seafood industry improve performance across the entire footprint of seafood, to begin working toward its goal of responsibly sourced seafood. Resiliensea worked directly with Hissho Sushi, guiding the company in the assessment of its seafood supply chain to ensure all purchases were being made from responsibly managed wild capture and farmed sources. The advisory firm also helped Hissho Sushi establish its strict supplier guidelines, including eliminating species that are under threat.

"We are so proud to be a partner to Hissho Sushi as they take this important step among distributors and retailers to help protect our oceans, the people who make a living by selling responsibly sourced seafood and helping increase the transparency of our seafood in the US," Phil Gibson of Resiliensea Group LLC said. "Hissho's commitment is a major step for the industry, and we hope it will result in others following their lead."

To achieve the commitment of responsibly sourced products, Hissho Sushi removed several menu items from its product offerings such as baby octopus, eel and mackerel.

"Looking toward the future, we hope that sourcing practices will improve for these items, and we can add them back on the menu," Beem said. "Our retail partners' customers have sophisticated palates, but they are also responsible consumers. Through feedback, they have largely told us that it's important to them to understand where their food comes from and to protect the environment. We are proud to lead the way in our industry – it's at the heart of everything we do."

Thanks to Resiliensea's guidance, Hissho Sushi only partners with best-in-class suppliers who adhere to its strict standards for food safety and quality. All vendor products must be certified by a third party, and the seafood must be traceable to farms or fisheries. To learn more about the certifications of key suppliers, visit Hissho Sushi's website.

Keeping the environment and economy 'rolling'

As important as Hissho Sushi's responsibly sourced pledge is to its company, employees, partners and customers, there is a bigger story to tell. The company's commitment to 100% responsibly sourced seafood helps protect the oceans, the environment and the economy of the seafood industry, valued at more than $261 billion in 2022, which includes all of the supporting roles from water to table.

"The greater-good objective is to preserve an entire industry, and we hope to set an example for other companies to follow," Beem said. "We hope to set a standard that customers repeatedly ask for wherever they eat seafood. And we hope our leadership encourages agencies to keep strengthening and evolving regulations and certifications."

To learn more about Hissho Sushi's commitment to 100% responsibly sourced seafood and updated practices and guidelines, visit hisshosushi.com.

Source: Hissho Sushi