EXPERTS QUESTION CHINA’S CLAIM ON COVID VIRUS CARRIED BY FROZEN FOOD

China says it has detected the coronavirus on packages of imported frozen food, but how valid are its claims and, if true, how serious is the threat to public health? This is a question posed by experts who have been waiting for months to produce proof that its people are threatened by “imported” COVID 19 virus.

Frozen shrimp imported from an Ecuadorian company was banned for one week, in a continuing series of such temporary bans. In June, China claimed an outbreak in Beijing was blamed on frozen salmon and other seafood, and frozen chicken and beef, pushing some experts to claim the matter is becoming politicized. Beijing has rejected this, claiming it is putting people’s lives first. Experts say they generally don’t consider the presence of the virus on packaging to be a significant health risk, the Associated Press (AP) reported from Beijing.

Trading partners, including the US, New Zealand, Canada and the EU, say they’re unclear on China’s methodology and have seen no solid evidence that their products carried the virus. The US has questioned whether China’s crackdown is scientifically based and suggested the bans may amount to an unfair trade barrier. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called the U.S. accusations “totally groundless and unreasonable.” China’s measures are “necessary following the spirit of putting people’s lives first and protecting people’s health,” he said last week.

In a statement to AP, the World Health Organization (WHO) said cases of live viruses being found on packaging appear to be “rare and isolated.” While the virus can “survive a long time under cold storage conditions,” there is no evidence of people contracting COVID-19 from consuming food, it said. The virus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 is overwhelmingly transmitted through respiratory droplets and smaller sized particles passed through the air, underscoring the importance of mask-wearing. The recent COVID-19 outbreaks in Beijing, Tianjin and another city were all homegrown and not traced to frozen food.