Chinese Customs continue to test and detain containers of imported seafood after claiming to find traces of live strains of COVID-19 on seafood packaging.
China’s customs authorities said COVID-19 had been found on packaging of ribbonfish shipped by Pakistani firm M/S Maritime Fisheries and on packaging of frozen squid shipped by Indonesian firm PT United Oceans Worldwide. Both firms will now be shut out of the Chinese market for a week.
Domestically, China’s Agriculture Ministry has also raised concerns about quality standards for locally farmed and processed bream and catfish. The ministry noted “compliance levels are not sufficiently high” in its Q2 report of risks to the Chinese food supply, while commenting that quality levels in six species including carp, shrimp, and tilapia, did meet the ministry’s standards. The report was based off inspections of large-scale aquaculture production, processing, and transport facilities in 31 provinces.
Demand for seafood remains strong in China. Global fishmeal and fish oil production trade group IFFO reported this week that “seafood demand and prices remain strong” in China, although shrimp prices flattened in July due to higher supply.
Photo courtesy of Zoran Karapancev/Shutterstock
