SARS-CoV-2 detected in packaging of mainland Chinese chicken legs, supplies to fastfood brands

Reporter : Liu Minghuan / Editor : Wenhui / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2020/12/17/a103011948.html / Translation, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

The local SARS-CoV-2 (CCP virus) cases that have broken out in China in the past few months have officially targeted frozen food imported from foreign countries and their packaging. However, recently, the China CDC officially notified that a batch of domestic chicken legs purchased by Cargill Protein Nutrition Technology Company in Chuzhou, Anhui Province, has tested positive for nucleic acid. However, the relevant authorities have so far failed to explain the product outflow and the specific flow.

According to mainland Chinese media reports, the main customers of Cargill's Chuzhou plant are international catering brands such as McDonald's, KFC and Burger King. It also supplies products to large supermarkets such as Wal-Mart, Bealead, and China's own catering brands.

It is pointed out that the Cargill Protein Nutrition Technology Company involved is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Cargill Investment Corporation. Its business scope includes the research and development, processing and product sales of quick-frozen food, meat products, aquatic products, and edible oil. Cargill Protein Nutrition Technology Company built its own farm to raise chickens. The annual slaughter volume of broilers is as high as 40 million, and the daily peak processing capacity exceeds 200,000.

According to reports, this is the first time that the CCP virus has been detected in the outer packaging of domestic meat products since the outbreak of the CCP virus in mainland China. In June, the cause of the new outbreak in Beijing was believed to be imported salmon from the Xinfadi vegetable market. Since then, many new cases across China are believed to be related to foreign frozen meat, including Norwegian salmon, Ecuadorian frozen pomfret, German pork knuckle, Indian frozen hairtail, Brazilian chicken wings and pork products, halibut, as well as American pig heads, etc.. In some supermarkets in China, imported meat will also carry a label indicating that it is virus-free.

China's claim that frozen meat is viral and can cause human infection has caused dissatisfaction in other countries. Trading partners including New Zealand, the United States, Canada and the European Union stated that they were unclear about what they said about China and that there was no conclusive evidence that their products carried the virus.

The World Health Organization said in a statement to the Associated Press that cases of live viruses found on packaging appear to be "rare and isolated."

The statement also said that although the virus "can survive for a long time under refrigerated conditions," there is no evidence that people will be infected with the CCP virus from eating food.