New Zealand says it has not been notified by Chinese authorities about COVID-19 in its meat

 

FILE PHOTO: Cattle feed in a field in Golden Bay, South Island, New Zealand March 29, 2016. REUTERS/Henning Gloystein/File Photo

 

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand said on Monday it had not been notified of any issues with its frozen meat exports after Chinese authorities said the coronavirus was found in its beef products.

 

The Chinese city of Jinan said over the weekend it had found COVID-19 in beef and tripe, and on their packaging, from Brazil, Bolivia and New Zealand, while two other provincial capitals detected it on packaging on pork from Argentina.

 

"New Zealand has not been informed of this officially by the Chinese authorities," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.

"New Zealand officials are working now to ascertain the origin and veracity of these reports."

 

Authorities in Jinan, capital of eastern China's Shandong province, said the goods involved were imported by a unit of Guotai International Group <002091.SZ>, and Shanghai Zhongli Development Trade. They entered through ports in Shanghai, they said.

 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in an interview on state broadcaster TVNZ on Monday that she had been advised it was not New Zealand's beef that had COVID-19 in it.

 

"We've been advised it's Argentinian beef, so we are just trying to get to the bottom of what's being reported there," Ardern said.

 

China, the world's top beef buyer, found the coronavirus last week on the packaging of Argentine beef in Shandong and Jiangsu, and on the packaging of Brazilian beef in Wuhan.

 

China has ramped up testing on frozen foods after detecting the virus in imported products, triggering import bans, even though the World Health Organization has said the risk of catching COVID-19 from frozen food is low.

 

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-16

 

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If this is accurate, and it seems like it is, scary!

Just China telling more lies and throwing a diplomatic tantrum.

When people look at China and its sins, China points the finger at others as a distraction.

8 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Just China telling more lies and throwing a diplomatic tantrum.

When people look at China and its sins, China points the finger at others as a distraction.

The same thing happened in New Zealand a few months ago. So you're saying they are lying also?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/covid-19-coronavirus-can-you-catch-the-virus-from-frozen-food/2DH4IUBOOFUJZQIOXS4GZCEJYE/

3 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

If this is accurate, and it seems like it is, scary!

If the "news" from China is to believed. China will employ any means to subvert, weaken, misinform and dominate its economic rivals.

Here we go, New Zealand's turn now by the looks of it.they will probably find 'Foot and Mouth' disease in the 'Shell fish and scollops'

There has been a long standing 'policy' of spreading misinformation about NZ products, especially dairy, in an attempt to reduce their popularity and the harm it's well earned reputation of trustworthiness. 

Just as soon as New Zealand ends any intelligence gathering with other Western nations, condemns the US, makes Huawei its sole electronics provider, and announces that its currency is tied to the yuan, I expect all these Covid problems will disappear.

5 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Just China telling more lies and throwing a diplomatic tantrum.

When people look at China and its sins, China points the finger at others as a distraction.

I wonder who they learnt that from? Or did he learn it from China?????

50 minutes ago, John Drake said:

Just as soon as New Zealand ends any intelligence gathering with other Western nations, condemns the US, makes Huawei its sole electronics provider, and announces that its currency is tied to the yuan, I expect all these Covid problems will disappear.

What about the Norwegian salmon that caused the Beijing out break?

 

Who copped the blame for that and how did China react that time?

42 minutes ago, Traubert said:

What about the Norwegian salmon that caused the Beijing out break?

 

Who copped the blame for that and how did China react that time?

 

Yes, this virus is everybody else's fault except the Chinese. They're just innocent victims. How is the air in Beijing today?

5 hours ago, Benmart said:

If the "news" from China is to believed. China will employ any means to subvert, weaken, misinform and dominate its economic rivals.

As I showed above, the same thing was reported in NZ. We still don't know everything about this virus.

39 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

As I showed above, the same thing was reported in NZ. We still don't know everything about this virus.

that may be, however you don't just blame another countries products and spread fear, without substantiating it first and the news link you added didn't show New Zealand blaming or singling out a country. I choose not to believe a single word that the WHO publishes as right from the start of the outbreak in China they spouted absolute rubbish and they are still spouting it now. China itself has been irresponsible with the virus and the truth from the get go and had they been more forthcoming and honest from the start, and the WHO had done their job properly in the first place a lot more people would be still alive now.

12 minutes ago, Megasin1 said:

that may be, however you don't just blame another countries products and spread fear, without substantiating it first and the news link you added didn't show New Zealand blaming or singling out a country. I choose not to believe a single word that the WHO publishes as right from the start of the outbreak in China they spouted absolute rubbish and they are still spouting it now. China itself has been irresponsible with the virus and the truth from the get go and had they been more forthcoming and honest from the start, and the WHO had done their job properly in the first place a lot more people would be still alive now.

No doubt the WHO screwed up initially. And China lied about the virus. But they are now doing better than pretty much any country in the West. Draconian measures for sure. But they have it under control.

 

According to the WHO, the viruses are very stable in a frozen state, and studies have even shown survival for up to two years at -4°F.

3 hours ago, John Drake said:

 

Yes, this virus is everybody else's fault except the Chinese. They're just innocent victims. How is the air in Beijing today?

I don't know to be honest because I'm three and a half hours away by air.

 

Hows the poison where you are?

21 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Just China telling more lies and throwing a diplomatic tantrum.

When people look at China and its sins, China points the finger at others as a distraction.

That’s how China rolls. 

12 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

No doubt the WHO screwed up initially. And China lied about the virus. But they are now doing better than pretty much any country in the West. Draconian measures for sure. But they have it under control...

Doing much better according to whom? WHO? CCP? You believe that???

There should be stiff consequences for China for their incompetence and for sharing covid with the world. They need to be punished severely. Notwithstanding their ambition to infiltrate and dominate other countries.

12 minutes ago, DBath said:

There should be stiff consequences for China for their incompetence and for sharing covid with the world. They need to be punished severely. Notwithstanding their ambition to infiltrate and dominate other countries.

What about the USA with 1 million new cases in a week, they are the super spreaders.

1 hour ago, DBath said:

Doing much better according to whom? WHO? CCP? You believe that???

I've got several friends who own factories in China. Life's getting back to normal. Hospitals aren't overflowing. This is first hand information. China has done a much better job of dealing with the virus. The US added 1 million new cases in just the past 10 days.

5 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

What about the USA with 1 million new cases in a week, they are the super spreaders.

As I recall, Covid-19 didn’t originate in the US, it originated in CHINA. That was my point, which you somehow failed to grasp.

Edited November 17, 20205 yr by onthedarkside
personal comment removed

China started this club, they should be happy to see it come back home again.

On 11/16/2020 at 9:15 AM, Jeffr2 said:

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/covid-19-coronavirus-can-you-catch-the-virus-from-frozen-food/2DH4IUBOOFUJZQIOXS4GZCEJYE/

In a joint statement on Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture echoed the sentiment, also confirming there's "no evidence" people can contact coronavirus from food or food packaging.

And while it's been proven the virus can survive on certain surfaces for as long as three days, researchers found that if you disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated, the virus can be eradicated within a minute – and it's important to remember touching a surface that's contaminated won't actually make you sick

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

In a joint statement on Thursday, the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture echoed the sentiment, also confirming there's "no evidence" people can contact coronavirus from food or food packaging.

And while it's been proven the virus can survive on certain surfaces for as long as three days, researchers found that if you disinfect surfaces that may be contaminated, the virus can be eradicated within a minute – and it's important to remember touching a surface that's contaminated won't actually make you sick

Since we still don't fully understand this virus, who knows. Better safe than sorry.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-29/virus-seen-hitching-a-ride-on-1-5-trillion-food-trade-expert

 

It is possible that contaminated food imports can transfer the virus to workers as well as the environment, said Dale Fisher, an infectious diseases physician at Singapore’s National University Hospital. Frozen-food markets are thought to be one harbor in the first part of a chain of transmission, he added.