Does Fish Have to Be Frozen Before Eating Raw?

Is the sale of chilled, but not frozen, fish (salmon and tuna pieces) marked as sushi quality permitted for raw consumption? Shouldn’t the fish be deep-frozen before eating it raw to kill any parasites that may be present?

That’s right: Fish or fish products that are eaten raw or almost raw must be frozen for at least 24 hours at at least -20°C. This serves to protect against certain parasites (e.g. nematodes) and is regulated in the EU regulation on specific hygiene regulations for food of animal origin.

With chilled fish that is advertised as “sushi quality”, you can assume that the fish has already been frozen. In this case, however, labeling of the previous deep-freezing is not required.