Sushi Deception: The Raw Truth About What You're Really Eating

By: DR DAVID FRIEDMAN

Sushi has long been the poster child of clean eating—fresh, light, and packed with omega-3s. But behind the glistening rolls and sashimi slices lies a murky world of fraud, mislabeling, and shady supply chains. It’s not just deception—it can be dangerous to your health!  Sushi is being rigged, dyed, and drugged.

Let’s pull back the bamboo curtain and uncover what you’re putting in your mouth.

Fish Substitutions: When the Catch Isn’t What You Think

Mislabeled fish is rampant in the sushi industry and is rarely accidental. Restaurants and distributors often swap cheaper, nutritionally inferior, or even hazardous fish for premium species to cut costs and boost profits.

• Escolar, often fraudulently sold as “white tuna” or “super white albacore,” is nicknamed the Ex-Lax fish for a reason. Its flesh contains wax esters—compounds humans can’t digest—causing severe diarrhea, cramping, and nausea. Due to these adverse effects, it’s banned in countries like Japan, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, and South Korea.

• Tilapia is frequently passed off as red snapper, despite being a cheaper, bland farm-raised fish that lacks the flavor and nutrition of the real thing. In blind taste tests, even experienced chefs have been duped.

• Imitation crab—or surimi—is a processed seafood paste made from cheap fish like Alaska pollock or lizardfish. It's deboned, rinsed, pulverized into a gel-like substance, mixed with additives like MSG, sugar, starches, and artificial flavors to resemble crab meat. Surimi, often used in California rolls, is a nutritional downgrade—low in protein, stripped of omega-3s, and loaded with inflammatory ingredients. What’s worse? Many surimi products contain gluten, typically from wheat starch, making them dangerous for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. That’s especially frustrating when you consider that real crab and scallops are naturally gluten-free. Consumers think they’re choosing safe seafood but are being misled, with potentially serious health consequences.

• Fake scallops are another common sushi scam. These imposters are often made from surimi or punching uniform round shapes out of cheap skate or shark meat. While they may look like the real thing, they lack the delicate texture and sweet flavor of genuine scallops and can pose a serious health risk. Scallops are among the lowest-mercury seafood options, while shark meat ranks among the highest. That’s not just a bait-and-switch; it’s a toxic swap.

Origin Deception: The Seafood Impostor Game

Labels like “wild-caught,” “Alaskan,” or “Gulf” often have little bearing on the actual origin of your fish.

• Alaskan salmon is often just farm-raised Atlantic salmon from Canadian pens.
• Pacific cod may hail from Russian waters.
• Chilean sea bass? More likely South African toothfish.
• Gulf shrimp? Frequently imported from Chinese shrimp farms, which are notorious for antibiotic overuse and poor sanitation.

This origin fraud matters—not only for traceability and taste but also because some imported seafood contains harmful residues banned in the U.S.

Visual Manipulation: Cosmetic Surgery for Fish

To keep fish looking “fresher” longer, some sushi restaurants treat tuna with carbon monoxide, which locks in a bright red color regardless of age or spoilage. Others add artificial dyes to salmon or tobiko (fish roe) for vibrancy that deceives the eye—and the gut. Synthetic food dyes—such as Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6—have been linked to behavioral issues in children, including hyperactivity and attention disorders, as well as potential carcinogenic effects.

These deceptive practices are banned in the European Union and Canada but remain legal (and unlabeled) in the U.S.

Sushi Fraud: The Shocking Stats

A groundbreaking investigation by Oceana tested over 1,200 seafood samples from across the U.S. and found:

           33% were mislabeled.
           74% of New York City restaurants sold mislabeled fish.
           84% of "white tuna" was escolar.

Even the FDA admits that seafood fraud is widespread and difficult to police, especially in imports that represent over 90% of the U.S. seafood supply

Imported Sushi & Hidden Chemicals

Some imported sushi-grade fish contain residues of unapproved or banned substances, including:

• Antibiotics (e.g., chloramphenicol, nitrofurans)—linked to cancer and aplastic anemia.
• Antifungals and antivirals—used in aquaculture but banned for food use.
• Pesticides and hormones—common in unregulated farms.
• Color-enhancing agents—used to mimic healthy fish flesh.
• Carbon monoxide—used to deceive consumers, not preserve health.

These chemicals can slip through due to lax oversight in countries like China, Vietnam, and Thailand. In 2022 alone, the FDA rejected over 100 seafood shipments for contamination or illegal drug use.

 How to Avoid Getting Rolled at the Sushi Bar

If you want sushi that’s safe, authentic, and worth what you’re paying for, here’s how to protect yourself from getting duped:

• Choose Reputable Establishments
  Stick to well-reviewed sushi spots known for quality, transparency, and responsible sourcing. High-end doesn’t always mean honest, but shady joints are rarely clean or careful.

• Ask Questions
  Don’t be shy—ask where the fish comes from, whether it’s wild-caught or farm-raised, and what species it is. A legitimate restaurant should welcome the conversation, not dodge it.

• Know Your Fish
  Get familiar with how real tuna, snapper, salmon, and scallops should look, smell, and taste. Recognizing texture, color, and cut quality can help you spot imposters.

• Watch the Price Tag
  If a place offers “bluefin tuna” or “Japanese wagyu” at bargain prices, something’s literally fishy. High-quality sushi comes with a price for a reason.

• Look for Certification
  Reputable places may carry certification from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Seafood Watch, organizations that promote sustainable and traceable seafood practices.

• Use Technology to Your Advantage
  Apps like Seafood Watch, FishVerify, or even simple barcode scanning tools can help you check a fish’s origin, sustainability status, and likelihood of mislabeling.

• Support Local and Traceable
  Whenever possible, buy sushi from local spots that source their fish from nearby or traceable suppliers. It not only ensures freshness and accountability but also supports ethical fishing practices.

Final Bite

Sushi fraud isn’t just a culinary con—it’s a health hazard, a sustainability scandal, and a truth we can’t afford to ignore. So, roll with wisdom. Ask questions. Trust your gut—because raw doesn’t always mean real when it comes to sushi.

Hungry for more truth?

If you found this eye-opening, there's plenty more where that came from. For insider tips on food fraud, clean eating, and the real story behind what’s on your plate—follow me:

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Dr. David Friedman

* Food Investigator

* Syndicated Radio/TV Health Expert    

*#1 Bestselling Author of Food Sanity, How to Eat in a World of Fads and Fiction.

REFERENCES:

Fish Mislabeling / Substitution:
Oceana. Oceana Study Reveals Seafood Fraud Nationwide. https://oceana.org/reports/oceana-study-reveals-seafood-fraud-nationwide/

Escolar sold as white tuna (Ex-Lax fish):
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Escolar and Oilfish: Health Hazards. https://www.fda.gov/food/metals-and-your-food/questions-and-answers-about-escolar

Tilapia substituted for red snapper:
Warner, K., et al. Oceana Report: Seafood Fraud in the U.S. https://oceana.org/sites/default/files/National_Seafood_Fraud_Testing_Results_Highlights_FINAL.pdf

Surimi ingredients and health risks (MSG, gluten, additives):
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks. https://www.cspinet.org/resource/food-dyes-rainbow-risks

Gluten-Free Watchdog. Surimi and Gluten Concerns. https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org
U.S. FDA. (2022). Food Labeling Guide – Surimi Products. https://www.fda.gov/media/81606/download

Fake scallops from skate, shark, or surimi:
National Geographic. Fish Fraud is Rampant. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/fish-fraud-rampant-seafood

ABC News. Is That Scallop Really a Scallop? https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Consumer/story?id=4240136&page=1

Carbon monoxide treatment of tuna to enhance red color:
FDA. Carbon Monoxide-Treated Tuna. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/retail-food-protection-industry-guidance-documents/carbon-monoxide-treated-tuna

Consumer Reports. Freshness of Tuna May Be Smoke and Mirrors. https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2007/11/freshness-of-tuna-may-be-smoke-and-mirrors/index.htm

Seafood origin fraud and harmful residues in imports:
Consumer Reports. How Safe is Your Seafood? https://www.consumerreports.org/seafood/safe-seafood-buying-guide-a5455641691/

FDA Import Refusals Database. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/importrefusals/

Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks. https://www.cspinet.org/resource/food-dyes-rainbow-risks

European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Food additives and hyperactivity. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/080914