The company behind this idea is Kaisho Group – is a wholesaler of fresh, cured and frozen fish and seafood.
Interestingly, the sashimi are also marketed as “supplements”, due to the rich source of protein, vitamins b6 and b12 present.
The main reason for doing so, was to highlight the benefits of the sashimi and attract the health-conscious youngsters, Masahiko Yamamoto, person-in-charge of foreign businesses at Kaisho Group (Tokyo) told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“Young people tend to want to have healthy life, supplements are popular among young people in Japan. We highlight this so as to attract people to buy it,” he said.
“We don’t add any artificial nutrients to the supplements. The sashimi are originally abundant in nutrients, including vitamins b6 and b12."
“We would like to show that each type of fish has plenty of nutrients. That is why we highlight the vitamin content on the packaging.”
In addition, introducing packet forms of sashimi would help to provide a more convenient eating experience, he said.
“It is annoying to cook fish at home...So we have to create a new market and new products for these kind of people who don’t usually eat or cook fish.”
Consumers would only need to thaw the sashimi “supplements” which comes in frozen form before consumption, he said.
Young Japanese eating lesser fish?
As compared to other age groups, young Japanese are consuming lesser amount of fish products, Yamamoto observed.
He explained that this might be because the younger generation prefer westernised, modern food such as pasta and burgers.
As such, the company hopes to make sashimi into a modern food by introducing it in packet form.
“Our staffs are relatively young. Over half of them are in their twenties and they know very well about what young consumers need,” he added.
Market response
The sashimi “supplements” have garnered attention since its launch.
Selling at 1,020 yen per set on the company’s online store, the company has sold hundred sets in the first week of the product launch.
Each set is made up of a packet of tuna, prawn and salmon sashimi.
“The numbers are increasing little by little. Some Japanese media such as the television and radio have introduced our products at the first raw fish supplements,” Yamamoto said.
Moving forward, the company plans to add more species of sashimi, such as eels, squid, and octopus, since it is a wholesaler that deals with a wide range of seafood.