Michael McNicholas becomes Chairman of the inaugural National Fishery Institutes Sushi Council

March 11, 2024 Ridgefield, NJ– Culimer USA is delighted to announce that Michael McNicholas, CEO & Managing Director, has become chairman of the National Fishery Institute (NFI) inaugural Sushi Council. The NFI founded the Sushi Council as a pre-competitive stakeholder group, which is made up of harvesters, processors, distributors, and end-users at retail and foodservice working to enhance sushi product integrity and promote industry-led food safety.  

“Sushi has achieved household status and is a major contributor to U.S. seafood consumption,” Chairman Michael McNicholas, of Culimer USA LLC, said. “The surge in popularity of raw and ready-to-eat products needs to be met with a similarly robust industry voice that advocates and advances the highest standard of handling and preparation for seafood destined for the sushi market.” 

Culimer USA specializes in clean, all-natural, sustainable sourced and fully traceable culinary ingredients, primarily focused on retail-sushi in North America. Michael has over 30 years of expertise within the seafood industry, and his expertise within the sushi market place is why this is a perfect partnership  for the NFI Sushi Council. 

The NFI Sushi Council will develop and distribute food safety guidance tailored to sushi’s specialized supply chain. A working group combining industry, government, and academia has formed under the Council’s direction to detail hazards and needed control measures. The resulting guidance will draw on existing compliance documents and stakeholder expertise to produce plainspoken and accessible resources for seafood professionals working in every step of the value chain from fish farms and processing facilities all the way to the sushi counter.  

The NFI Sushi Council will next meet in Boston at the Seafood Expo North America (SENA) on Sunday, March 10, at 8:30 a.m. NFI Sushi Council’s Executive Committee will host a panel on March 11 at 2:45 p.m. during the SENA Conference Program to discuss U.S. sushi market dynamics and the council’s food safety mission. 

Companies joining the NFI Sushi Council before April 1, 2024, will receive the designation of Founding Council Members. Current founding members include Aquamar, BlueNalu, Blue Ocean Mariculture, Culimer USA LLC, Eastern Fish Company, Red Shell Sushi, Shinkei Systems Corp and True World Foods. 

About the National Fishery Institute

The National Fisheries Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to education about seafood safety, sustainability, and nutrition. From vessels at sea to your favorite seafood restaurant, our diverse member companies bring delicious fish and shellfish to American families. NFI and its members are committed to sustainable management of our oceans and being stewards of our environment by endorsing the United Nations Principles for Responsible Fisheries. From responsible aquaculture, to a marketplace supporting free trade, to ensuring the media and consumers have the facts about the health benefits of fish and shellfish, NFI and its members support and promote sound public policy based on ground truth science.

About Culimer USA

Culimer USA is a leading resource for sushi programs that aims to be all-natural, sustainable, traceable, and ethically sourced. Working with sushi operators, supermarkets, restaurant groups, and other food management companies, Culimer’s mission is to Enrich Society Through Food by continuously raising the standards of retail sushi until they are equal to those in Japan. Culimer achieves this by matching best-in-class producers with operators that desire to have the best programs in the US.