Popular Japanese restaurant pulls oysters from menu

By Mike Hazlip—
Fukumi Restaurant Group, which owns Japanese restaurants in Citrus Heights, Roseville and Folsom, is taking measures to curb reports of food poisoning related to oysters served at one of their locations.

In a March 14 announcement posted to the company’s website, Fukumi Restaurant Group said they are voluntarily taking oysters off the menu while staff investigates the claims.

“It’s is our priority to ensure that we are serving food of the highest quality to our customers and provide a satisfying dining experience,” the restaurant said. “Please know that we take all complaints seriously, and have launched an investigating into this issue.”

The restaurant group did not identify which location or locations had reports of food poisoning, but Calvin Alford, shift leader at Fukumi Ramen in Citrus Heights, told The Sentinel on Tuesday that his restaurant does not serve oysters and said incidents are from the chain’s new Roseville location, It’s Sushi.

Reviews posted on Google also confirm the Roseville location had several reports of food poisoning, with one reader saying: “Had oysters this past Sunday and was violently sick Monday. Now seeing other people with the same issue.”

Fukumi Restaurant Group said they have also contacted their vendor, True World Foods, and they are conducting their own investigation.

A perusal of recent reviews does not show any reports of food poisoning at Fukumi Ramen’s Citrus Heights location. The restaurant has a four-and-a-half out of five star rating from 249 Google reviews, and four-out-of-five stars from more than 200 Yelp reviews.

Inspection reports available from Sacramento County Environmental Management Department show the Citrus Heights restaurant was issued a conditional pass after a Feb. 21 inspection. Two violations listed in the report as “major” were related to hand washing protocol and pork stored on a counter without a time log. Both violations were corrected the next day, records show, and Fukumi was given a full pass.

Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows raw or under-cooked oysters may contain the Vibrio bacteria. Symptoms include diarrhea and vomiting. Severe cases can lead to bloodstream infections and even death, the CDC says.