Market regulator acts to halt cold-chain food COVID-19 infection

Seven lots of packaging of imported cold-chain food have tested positive to COVID-19 in the city since the country issued a strict guideline for the industry to prevent the transmission of the virus in November, the local market regulator has said.

All the products didn't come onto the market and have been safely disposed of, according to the national standard, said Xu Jin, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, at a news conference on Sunday.

Nearly 33,000 boxes of imported cold-chain food have been subjected to nucleic acid tests, with more than 210,000 samples collected since November.

The importers, food producers, online retailers, the managers of the cold storage, supermarkets and restaurants should upload the products’ inspection and quarantine certificates, disinfection records, nucleic acid test reports and other information to the local online system for the imported cold-chain food.

“All information can be tracked through the QR code on a product's packaging,” Xu said.

Before the Spring Festival next month, the market regulator will check cold-chain food warehouses.