COVID-19 UPDATE

13 August 2020

You are receiving the COVID-19 Recovery Update as you have subscribed to the STAG mailing list. This update is produced for Australian seafood exporters, containing important updates and informal translations of news from Asian and foreign media. Any information provided as part of this service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives.

Frozen seafood and packaging test positive for COVID

The STAG is closely monitoring the news that COVID-19 has been detected on frozen seafood and its packaging in China this week and we are acutely aware that this may become a potential issue for our industry and exports.

See below for some news articles from our Chinese media researcher. It appears the media is reporting that frozen seafood and affected packaging have spread the virus to more cities. However, it has been reported that most of the detected products have not entered the market and that "risks are under control".

Note: If articles are opened in Chrome, they can be automatically translated

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1. On August 11, the Yantai Municipal Press Office of Shandong Province announced that a sample of the outer packaging of imported frozen seafood was positive. Except for a small number of products, most are in cold storage and have not entered the market.

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Moz-Ch2-B0JyPLx-azqrZw

2. On August 9, the Yantai Economic and Technological Development Zone found positive test results of the new coronavirus nucleic acid in the outer packaging and of samples of frozen seafood products transported in the same foreign cargo ship from the Dalian port that is suspected to be positive.

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/frTTgtCdfn1p52JlFI0Cqg

3. A restaurant in Anhui province, Wuhu city has tested positive for COVID-19 of its frozen shrimp. All related products were still in the warehouse and have not yet been processed. All staff are under testing and the premises are undergoing a deep clean.

http://weibointl.api.weibo.com/share/165635983.html?weibo_id=4537125363515667

4. Three samples collected from the outer packaging of frozen seafood imported by three enterprises in Yantai, Shandong province, tested positive for the novel coronavirus

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202008/11/WS5f327b60a31083481725faa2.html

Other Market News

1. Beijing's once busy Xinfadi wholesale market, which has remained closed since the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in June, has now reopened as the city has put the pandemic under control

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202008/11/WS5f32429da31083481725f9d0.html

2. Hong Kong third wave: Restaurant industry group to roll out HK$50 million food safety scheme to ‘rescue’ sector

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3096779/hong-kong-third-wave-restaurant-industry-group

3. Trading of live animals will come under stricter scrutiny in China to better prevent the transmission of diseases, according to a draft revision to the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law under deliberation by the top legislature.

https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202008/10/WS5f30988aa31083481725f2c2.html

4. In Singapore, a bright red label on the packaging will help shoppers identify local produce with greater ease from this month onward.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-label-identifying-local-produce-rolled-out

5. Austrade is creating new digital services to help more Australian businesses grow through exporting, diversify into new markets, and manage their risk throughout the export journey. You are invited to participate in a short survey which will help Austrade design a better experience for Australian exporters.

STAG Bulletins are available at http://www.seafoodtradeadvisory.com

STAG COVID-19 UPDATES are a resource for Australian seafood exporters.The Seafood Trade Advisory Group receives funds from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation plans, invests in and manages fisheries research and development throughout Australia. It is a statutory authority within the portfolio of the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, jointly funded by the Australian Government and the fishing industry.