CAIRO: It is the new fad for Egypt's wealthy: sushi. Dozens of new restaurants serving the raw fish have sprouted up across Africa's largest city, but with it comes the rise of more and more reports of food illnesses the day after partaking in the global phenomenon. “The other day I went out with friends and we ate and ate so much sushi I could barely move after,” said Tarek Metwally, a 28-year-old investment banker. “The next day I was vomiting and I was in really bad shape. I think it was because of the fish.” Others report similar experiences. But it hasn't stopped them from going back and Metwally added that despite spending an entire day in bed, “It was so good, I am going to definitely be heading back there with friends the next time. It can't be that bad for us.” Many, Metwally included, believe that sushi can't be that bad if there are scores of restaurants serving the sea fish across Cairo and the world. How far from the reality, however, he and millions are. According to recent statistics, sushi is a major threat to human health, the environment and ecosystems worldwide. Looking at sushi from a health perspective is not only scary; it is suicide, a recent report from the American government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Recent tests discovered that mercury levels in tuna sushi at 20 Manhattan stores and restaurants would exceed levels considered acceptable. But they are on the shelves anyway. At least five of those restaurants had mercury levels so high that the Food and Drug Administration could take legal action to remove the fish from the market. They weren't. That is in the United States, imagine what those levels could be in Egypt, where lax sanitary and health regulations for local restaurants could mean the levels are even higher. “Mercury levels in bluefin are likely to be very high regardless of location,” said Tim Fitzgerald, a marine scientist for Environmental Defense, an advocacy group that works to protect the environment and improve human health, in a New York Times report on sushi. With sushi on the rise in Egypt, consumers should be aware of the massive health risks that are included while eating fish, let alone raw uncooked sushi. According to experts, mercury may cause an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and neurological symptoms. Is that what people should be putting into their bodies? Probably not. The environment and ecosystems affected by sushi are interconnected and must be examined together. According to well-reported investigations into products reveals that when you eat even one piece you are willfully allowing hundreds – yes, 100s – of other fish to be killed as a result of bycatch. Think about it this way, when you bite into that piece of succulent tuna sushi, think of the sharks, dolphins, shrimp, turtles and others that were killed and simply thrown overboard because they weren't tuna. That could make you stop and think. Among that bycatch are dozens of endangered species that are being illegally murdered by international factory fishermen. Even more frightening is the fact that many different kinds of sushi may not even be the fish you think it is. According to an Oregon State University team of experts, filmmakers and advocates, whale meat is being illegally traded worldwide and often shows up as tuna or other sea fish on the plate, from Seoul, South Korea, to Los Angeles, California. With well below international standards for food, Egypt most certainly has whale on the menu, it just isn't stated because the owners don't know. When Bikya Masr asked an upscale restaurant owner where he purchases the fish used for their sushi, he skirted the question, saying that “it was not our concern. The food is healthy.” We pressed further, asking how, with these reports of mercury levels in sushi, does he maintain absolute certainty that the sushi is safe for consumers to eat. “There has never been anyone who has gotten sick from our fish and we only purchase the best fish from the proper sources,” he added. Ironically, Metwally had eaten at this restaurant only the week before. So, if you are off to eat sushi, beware of what you are doing to your body and the ecosystems worldwide. BM
