China asks meat exporters to disinfect shipments to prevent COVID-19

Chinese meat importers and processors have asked exporters from other countries to intensify checking before shipping over meat.

According to Gao Guan, spokesman for the China Meat Association, China has detected the virus on the packaging of cold chain products many times regardless of efforts to disinfect.

Consequently, China has intensified disinfection and virus testing on frozen food, which pushed up costs, disrupted trade, and irritated major exporters.

Gao pointed out that it would be better to handle virus control at the point of origin and cheaper to more efficient to carry out disinfection at production plants.

The association suggested exporters in COVID-19 hit countries should disinfect the outer packaging of products and the inner side of containers.

Some exporters, including JBS in Brazil, have extensively disinfected products and storage sites.

Brazil recently received an alert from the Chinese to intensify disinfection.

Denmark and Spain are among the leading exporters of pork to China with shipments from Germany currently banned following an outbreak of African Swine Fever in September.

Chinese officials contradicted the World Health Organization's statement that food or food packaging should not be feared during the pandemic, saying there is still a risk of transmission.

Gao said there should be a discussion on how to use the most scientific, efficient, and cheapest way to secure public health, and trade at the same time.