Itsu expands retail offering with sushi range

The new selection of Itsu dragon rolls (pictured) will be available as a ‘main’ in the supermarket giant’s £5 meal deal offer from 21 October.

Options include teriyaki salmon, vegetable crunch, and katsu chicken.

It follows insight shared by Tesco at the end of 2023 that revealed sushi had replaced its smoked salmon sandwich as ‘Britain’s favourite premium lunchtime treat’.

According to Itsu grocery MD Claudia Santagada. developing a sushi range for supermarkets has taken Itsu several years due to there being ‘so many challenges in terms of quality’ to overcome.

They included preventing the rice from hardening on shelf.

To achieve this, the development team decided to ‘keep the shelf life short’, and also make sure there were controls in place related to temperature and pH to make sure the rice ‘stayed as moist as possible’.

The team also wanted to add crunch to the rolls without relying on a flavourful ingredient – like fried onions – that would mask the taste of the sushi.

“We worked on the tempura pieces, which are little batter balls that you can pour on top, so you get the crunch without covering the original flavour of the sushi,” says Santagada.

As well as the new range, Itsu has also expanded its frozen retail offering with five new products. They include two new varieties of frozen dumplings and three vegetable side dishes.