It has been a familiar sight at takeaway sushi shops around the world for decades, but it could be the beginning of the end for the iconic fish-shaped soy sauce dispenser. South Australia will be the first place in the world to ban the container under a wider ban on single-use plastics that comes into force on 1 September.
The device, known as shoyu-tai (or soy-sauce snapper in Japanese), was invented in 1954 by Teruo Watanabe, the founder of Osaka-based company Asahi Sogyo. It was then common for glass and ceramic containers to be used, but the advent of cheap industrial plastics allowed the creation of a small polyethylene container in the shape of a fish, officially named the “Lunch Charm.”
The invention quickly spread around Japan and eventually worldwide, and it is estimated that billions have been produced in the last few decades. Under the new law, only pre-filled soy sauce containers with a lid, cap, or stopper and containing less than 30ml of soy sauce will be banned. Plastic sachets will still be allowed, but the government hopes bulk bottles or dispensers will be used in sushi shops instead.
Dr. Susan Close, the South Australian environment minister, said that each plastic fish container was used for just seconds but “their small size means they’re easily dropped, blown away, or washed into drains, making them a frequent component of beach and street litter.” Other single-use plastic items included in the ban are plastic cutlery and expanded polystyrene food packaging.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/aug/31/south-australia-bans-soy-sauce-fish-packets-in-world-first-to-cut-single-use-plastics
