Viral video claims Costco salmon is safe to eat raw — but is it really?

A TikTok video featuring a user eating raw Costco salmon like sashimi raised concerns among netizens about the safety of consuming non-sushi-grade fish. In the video, user Sara (@madeinkorea____) claimed she and her husband have been eating raw Costco salmon for years without incident.

Still alive: Sara, who identifies as Korean, expressed confidence in the salmon’s safety, stating, “My husband doesn’t believe in ‘sushi grade.’ We’ve been doing this for years and we’re still alive.” One commenter claimed to be “Korean too” but stated their family “would never eat raw fish if it wasn’t sushi-grade.” Other commenters highlighted the potential for contamination during processing and packaging, even if the fish is initially frozen.
What FDA recommends: While the term “sushi-grade” lacks a formal regulatory definition and relies on the seller’s assessment of the fish’s safety for raw consumption, the FDA provides guidelines for parasite destruction in fish. Fish for raw consumption is recommended to be frozen at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days, or at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, a step that is unclear if Costco’s freezing process actually fully meets. We reached out to Costco for comment on their salmon handling and freezing processes but have yet to receive a reply as of press time.

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