From the NHS website: www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/is-it-safe-to-eat-sushi-during-pregnancy.aspx?CategoryID=54&SubCategoryID=216
"Sushi from shops and restaurants
Sushi that is sold in shops or restaurants, whether ready made or made in the shop, should be safe to eat. Food safety regulations require shops and restaurants to freeze raw fish used to make sushi at -20C for at least 24 hours."
So I emailed YoSushi to ask if they adhere to these guidelines and this was their response:
"Thank you for your enquiry regarding our salmon.
We do freeze all our fish apart from our Scottish salmon. This is because the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has investigated Scottish farmed salmon to find out if they could contain the parasite nematode ? which is the reason that all fish to be served raw or nearly raw must be frozen for a minimum of 24 hours. They have found that Scottish farmed salmon is at very low risk of this due to the water quality, high farming standards, control of the feed with the best salmon husbandry practises. The FSA have now applied for a delegation in that European law to allow Scottish farmed salmon to not need to be frozen before serving raw. Due to our joint research with the FSA we are allowed to not freeze the salmon as the freezing process damages the taste and quality as Scottish farmed salmon is seen as ?safe? to eat raw.
Having said all of that ? please follow your doctor?s advice on what you should or shouldn?t eat.
I hope this helps and congratulations!"
Soooo... the Scottish farmed salmon seems (soon to be) exempt from the 'needs to have been frozen' regulations, due to it being deemed safe. Safe enough to eat in pregnancy?
Personally I'm thinking unless there is more evidence I probably won't risk it (and it's good to know that according to NHS guidelines you can eat all the other raw fish they serve at YoSushi!!), but it would be good if the NHS updated their guidelines with a definite yes or no with regards to farmed Scottish salmon.