Lawson has begun selling frozen sashimi of sea bream and kanpachi at some of its stores. The company says sales are brisk, thanks to a special freezing technology that keeps the fish fresh for longer. When eaten at home, the fish is simply defrosted under running water for about 10 minutes. It is expected to be the “eye of the typhoon” in the booming frozen food market.
Special freezing technology makes it possible to eat fresh sashimi anytime.
Lawson began selling “kampachi sashimi” and “sea bream sashimi” (498 yen including tax for both) in some stores in the Kanto, Kinki, and Hokuriku regions on January 18, 2022.
Although there are still only a few stores where the product is sold, the initial sales are said to be strong. The main purchasers are men in their 30s to 50s. Many buy it with frozen foods, beer, and sake, making it a product that meets the demand for home drinking,” LAWSON said.
In November 2009, LAWSON announced that it would increase frozen food sales in fiscal 2013 to five times the fiscal 2008 level. Behind this is the demand for frozen foods in the Corona disaster. The combination of factors such as “cooking more often” and “not being able to go shopping as often” has led to the acceptance of frozen foods as an easy way to make meals. According to the Japan Frozen Foods Association, factory shipments of frozen foods (domestic production) for household use increased 18% over 2007 to 374.8 billion yen in 2008.
The greatest feature of this product is the use of special freezing technology. The key is “Tomin,” developed by Technikan (Yokohama City), a freezing machine manufacturer. While ordinary frozen foods are made by cooling them with cold air, Tomin uses alcohol (liquid) at minus 30 degrees Celsius. The liquid is able to transfer heat more easily than gas, and is frozen more quickly.
The short freezing time significantly reduces damage to the food. When meat and fish are frozen, the moisture contained in them forms ice crystals, but a faster freezing speed suppresses the size of the crystals and prevents damage to the food’s cells. This reduces the risk of drippings filled with umami flavor flowing out when the food is defrosted, thus preserving the flavor.
Another key point is that the sashimi is sliced for immediate consumption, but it was also difficult to maintain quality compared to the saku (fillet) state. The company then made repeated prototypes, changing such conditions as the origin of the fish, the size of each slice, and the number of days the fish was allowed to sit for after it had been cured.
Benefits for Both the Store and the Consumer
Convenience stores have been offering sashimi and nigirizushi, but there have been hurdles in putting fresh sashimi on the shelves due to the difficulty of managing freshness. The sea bream and kanpachi sashimi has a shelf life of six months, so the ingredients are less likely to go to waste. It’s a win-win situation for the restaurant and for the consumer, who can stock up in their freezers.” As a result, it also helps to prevent food loss,” he says.
