Local Chinese authorities have been hunting down frozen shrimp from three Ecuadorian companies after samples taken from outer packaging and inside a shipping container detected positive for the coronavirus.
In Zheijang province, local authorities sealed off 78 metric tons of frozen shrimp, as of Saturday morning, said the Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision Bureau, following instructions by central authorities to implement a recall on shrimp from Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila, Empacreci and Empacadora Del Pacifico Sociedad Anonima Edpacif.
Officials visit supermarkets to inspect shrimp products. Source: Zhejiang Daily
On Friday, Chinese customs said they detected coronavirus in five samples taken from the outer packaging of shrimp from the latter two companies; in Santa Priscila's case, a positive sample was taken from the inside of the shipping container transporting the company's shrimp. Imported shrimp produced after March 12 by the three firms must be recalled and destroyed, authorities said.
Chinese local authorities "should attach great importance [to coronavirus control measures] and convey the spirit of this notice", said China's General Administration of Customs, National Health Commission, and General Administration of Market Supervision in a joint statement issued on Friday.
China's legion of shrimp importers have implored retailers not to place all Ecuadorian shrimp under suspicion, amid reports some removed Ecuadorian shrimp from other companies from sale as a precaution.
Ecuadorian shrimp is being sold at heavy discounts online. Source: JD.com
"The local government implements a 'one size fits all' approach to the management of white shrimp products," an industry source told Chinese publication Seafood Guide. "As long as it is found to be Ecuadorian product, it is banned from sale."
Importers point out shrimp imports are currently being tested on arrival, meaning such draconian measures are unnecessary. "All that can be circulated to the market has been inspected by customs, and all have quarantine certificates," another source told Seafood Guide. "Can you be more rational?"
Over the weekend JD.com, a large e-commerce platform, slashed prices of Ecuadorian shrimp by 20-30%, amid fears of a consumer boycott of the kind which impacted fresh salmon.
On Sunday, a promotional offer meant shoppers could pick up a second 1.4 kilogram-pack (net weight) of frozen Ecuadorian shrimp originally retailing for CNY 149 ($21.28) for just CNY 69.8, if the shopper bought two boxes of the product.
Guolian unaffected
Meanwhile, Chinese retailers and shrimp firms have been distancing themselves from the three Ecuadorian companies where possible.
On Saturday, China's largest shrimp company and a big shrimp importer, Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products, said it had "verified that none of the frozen shrimp commodities produced by [Guolian] after December 2019 were [with imported shrimp] produced by the three companies".
It follows similar pronouncements by the Chinese arm of Walmart, one of the largest retailers in China, which said on Friday it would continue to sell Ecuadorian shrimp at its supermarkets, as none is sourced from the three companies.
Hema, Alibaba Group's chain of physical grocery stores, also is still marketing shrimp products from Ecuador.
"Hema completed the batch of nucleic acid testing of Ecuadorian white shrimp before sale, and the results were negative. Hema is currently not selling products from the three Ecuadorian companies involved in the report," the firm said in a Friday statement.
July 13, 2020 at 05:01PM
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Chinese authorities seal off shrimp from Ecuadorian companies hit by ban - Undercurrent News
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