Sushi restaurant under investigation for serving potentially poisonous octopus

Shanghai's market watchdog is investigating a popular sushi chain following allegation that it served toxic cuisine.

Sushi Express has come under fire after a diner who had a meal at its outlet inside SML Center in Huangpu District on Sunday night said she found an octopus sushi served at the restaurant was a blue-ringed octopus, which contained tetrodotoxin.

The diner, who likes reading science-related books, uploaded a photo of the sushi onto Weibo, China's Twitter-like platform. She said she didn't eat the sushi out of fear, after confirming online that it was in fact a blue-ringed octopus.

The sushi eatery denied that it was the toxic octopus, while tests are currently underway.

Shanghai's market regulators said on Tuesday that the restaurant has been ordered to conduct checks on suppliers and relevant outlets to eliminate hazards.

Chen Xihan