Nissui Holds Fried Fish Surimi Stick GYONIPO Tasting in Tokyo's Harajuku; Internal Survey Shows 42% of 18-29 Year-Olds Never Buy Fish
Nissui held a limited-time, limited-quantity free tasting event from November 5 to 8 at the Harakado commercial complex in Harajuku, Tokyo, launching GYONIPO, a fried fish meat sausage snack made from white fish surimi and shaped like French fries, using a proof-of-concept test to respond to declining fish consumption among younger groups.
Nissui has launched a proof-of-concept test in Tokyo, introducing a fried surimi snack called GYONIPO in response to the continued decline in fish consumption among younger groups. The tasting event is scheduled for November 5 to 8 at the Harakado commercial complex in Harajuku, Tokyo, and takes the form of limited-time, limited-quantity free tastings.
GYONIPO is made by cutting approximately one fish meat sausage into strips and frying them into a French-fry shape, with white fish surimi (white-fleshed fish surimi) as the raw material. The product looks like a potato on the outside but is fish on the inside. The product specifications given by the source are: cooking time 15 minutes, energy 174 kcal, and salt content 1.1 g. Nissui said the product design directly responds to changes in eating-out consumption habits and market demand for convenient foods, and said it has focused on making the product "surprisingly easy to make with fish meat sausage."
The tasting event stems from an internal company survey Nissui conducted with 2,000 respondents. The survey results showed that 53.4% of respondents felt their fish intake was insufficient. The 18-29 age group shows a structural bottleneck: 42% never buy fish, 46% never cook fish at home, and 45.3% said they would be willing to try fish products if they could be eaten conveniently with one hand. The source interprets these figures as meaning that the contraction in fish consumption among younger groups stems not merely from a lack of interest in flavor or nutrition, but mainly from obstacles in the traditional stages of selection, pre-processing and cooking. In response to these meal-preparation pain points, Nissui has focused its R&D on the ready-to-eat finger food category.
From the processing and commercial perspective, the GYONIPO trial involves a new surimi processing line, proprietary processing permits, and dedicated cutting and frying equipment. Nissui said the event is strictly positioned as a temporary proof-of-concept test and that no timetable for nationwide commercial rollout has been confirmed.
The event venue is the Harakado commercial complex in Harajuku, Tokyo, with a time window of November 5 to 8. The product's specific specifications are approximately one fish meat sausage cut into strips and fried, 15 minutes cooking time, 174 kcal energy and 1.1 g salt.