Shrimp File photo:VCG

As of Monday, China has suspended imports from 56 cold-chain food companies from 19 countries where staff have COVID-19 infections. Forty-one of the companies voluntarily stopped exports to China, China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on Tuesday. 

Packaging and containers of imported frozen food in China have repeatedly tested positive for COVID-19. As of Monday, the GAC has spot-checked more than 500,000 samples from imported cold-chain food, and one sample from container and five from outer packaging tested positive during the COVID-19 nucleic acid tests. 

In addition, several other cases of positive results were also reported across the nation in imported frozen food, including seafood and chicken. Packaging of frozen shrimp products from Ecuador was found positive for COVID-19 in several provinces. 

The GAC said it has been issuing instructions to companies exporting to China. As of Monday, it has held 121 video conferences with 99 countries and regions. 

China is currently importing meat products from 38 countries and regions around the world. In the first eight months of this year, China imported 6.58 million tons of meat, exceeding the total amount in the whole year of 2019. In 2019, the amount of imported meat stood at 6.17 million tons, increasing 121.28 percent compared to five years ago.  

Global Times