Raw fish
Fish and seafood is on sale at a grocery store in Moscow, August 19, 2014. Russia will allow imports from neighbouring Belarus and Kazakhstan of food processed from Western raw materials which fall under Moscow's embargo, Russian news agencies quoted Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich as saying. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev (RUSSIA - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS FOOD)
Fish and seafood is on sale at a grocery store in Moscow, August 19, 2014. Russia will allow imports from neighbouring Belarus and Kazakhstan of food processed from Western raw materials which fall under Moscow's embargo, Russian news agencies quoted Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich as saying. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev (RUSSIA - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS FOOD)

An online petition is collecting signatures to shutter the Naked Sushi catering company in British Columbia, Canada, because of its flagship service in which diners eat sushi that is piled on top of a naked female model's body. Feminist groups in Canada denounced the Japanese firm for treating women's body as just as object and only emphasises the sexual role of women in society.

"The founders of the business want to 'bring a new vision to the idea of a centerpiece,'" read the petition.

The traditional Japanese dining experience is called nyotaimon, which was introduced to Canada by the catering firm based in Toronto, which recently expanded the service into the Vancouver area.

To entice more clients, the catering firm wrote in its Facebook page: "Our team of professional staff and models will create an atmosphere of traditional Japanese elegance that will render your event unforgettable to your guests."

The practice, wherein diners get their serving of raw fish and seaweed from the nude model's body, is starting to gain more fans in Canada and the US where it is being offered in different dining establishments in Las Vegas.

The models are trained to be very still for hours as diners pick sushi using chopsticks from their bodies. Rules include always use a chopstick in picking the raw fish, no touching or speaking to the models, no lewd comments or gestures and poking of the model using chopsticks definitely not allowed.

SumOfUs, the watchdog that initiated the petition, raised the social and health aspects of the Naked Sushi dining experience, which some enthusiasts consider a form of art. Naked Sushi is now being included in business meals, which led some feminist groups to denounce the women executives of companies that patronise the service.

"Would we want business meetings at strip clubs or Hooters? Probably not ... It's especially awkward for [female members of corporate groups], because third-degree sexism does exist," National Post quoted Janni Aragon, associate professor of women's studies at the University of Victoria.

The service comes with a 4-figure price tag, but despite the high cost, a growing number of companies are including the service in their corporate team-building exercises, although it is not that popular with individuals who may balk at the bill, said Kristine McNally of IP Montreal, which is also into the Naked Sushi service.

However, as the video below showed, in some establishments, the models actually keep on their panties.

YouTube/Justin Stearman