the sushi market | France

Sushi identifies the set of dishes of Japanese origin based on boiled rice combined with other ingredients, among the most widely used raw fish or vegetables.

Today the term identifies an entire culinary tradition that has expanded worldwide, but originally dates back to about 2000 years ago. Boiled rice was in fact used in Japan as a method of preserving fish, which was placed between layers of rice, originally the rice was not eaten, but over time became part of the dish.

There are several types of sushi: 

• Makis - roll-shaped sushi wrapped in seaweed;
• Temakis - the preparation is similar to maki, in the form of a cone;
• Nigiris - Raw fish slice on an oval rice ball.

Sushi is mainly served in restaurants, but with the growing popularity of this dish around the world, it is increasingly distributed in supermarkets as well as on delivery.

The global market is expanding rapidly, driven by the dynamism of Japanese restaurants in all regions of the world, led by Asia and North America. 

The French market is one of the most mature markets in Europe, as sushi is one of the most popular fish dishes. While the market was showing very strong growth rates, it seems to be showing some signs of saturation as many restaurant and delivery chains had to slow down their activity. The market also has to cope with the increase in the prices of the fish that make up sushi (tuna, salmon and shrimp, etc.), which have been increasing in recent years, as production has not kept pace with the level of demand. 

However, distribution in supermarkets, concentrated around a few players, seems to be doing rather well, with increasing penetration rates.