the sushi market | France

1.1 Presentation and definition of the sushi market in France

Sushi is a dish of Japanese origin based on vinegared rice (the shari) and another ingredient (the neta), most often raw fish. Sushi is regularly accompanied by other ingredients that play a full part in their consumption (ginger, wasabi, sweet or savoury soy sauce). Although their consumption is relatively rare in Japan, the recipe is extremely popular around the world.

There are several types of sushi;

• Maki - sushi in the form of a roll wrapped in seaweed
• Temaki - the preparation is similar to maki, in the form of a cone
• Nigiri - Slice of raw fish laid on an oval-shaped rice ball

Sushi is served mainly in restaurants but as the popularity of this dish increases around the world, it is more and more distributed in supermarkets and hypermarkets, as well as in delivery .

The world market is growing, 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 of Europe. 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 companies have had to slow down their business. The market is also suffering from the recent increase in fish prices which makes up the sushi (tuna, salmon, shrimp, etc.), due to the fact that production has not kept pace with the level of demand.

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