TIMELINE-China's battle with coronavirus on frozen food and packaging

(Adds new items) BEIJING, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China has ramped up testing of frozen foods after saying it has repeatedly discovered the coronavirus on imported products and their packaging, triggering mass scale testing of food and related personnel, suspension of certain imports and disruptions to trade flows. China, which has suspended imports from 99 suppliers in 20 countries, argues these measures are needed to prevent more arrivals of the virus in a country that has largely contained the epidemic domestically. But major food-producing countries are growing increasingly frustrated with China's scrutiny of imported products. A seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan is widely believed to be the origin of the pandemic that emerged late last year, but the Global Times, a tabloid backed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, suggested this week that the presence of the virus on imported food raised the possibility that it may have come from overseas. Below is a timeline of the coronavirus found on imported frozen food or packaging in various parts of the country from different origins. Date Product Origin Location Found On Notes Link Nov. 21 Chicken Argentina Dongguan in Outer Chicken wings packaging from Argentina tested positive for the https://bit.ly/3kWzaX9 wings Guangzhou Packaging coronavirus, state-owned Xinhua reported. Nov.21 Chicken Russia Dongguan in Outer Chicken feet packaging from Russia tested positive for the https://bit.ly/3kWzaX9 feet Guangzhou Packaging coronavirus, Xinhua reported. Nov.18 Beef Brazil Wuhan in Outer The goods involved were exported by FRIGOL S.A. https://bit.ly/2ISJeTr Hubei Packaging Nov.18 Pomfret India Xiamen in Outer Xiamen has sealed frozen pomfret from the same batch of fish that had https://bit.ly/3pDNyHg Fujian Packaging earlier tested positive in Fuzhou city. Nov.18 Boneless Argentina Xiamen in Packaging https://bit.ly/3fdXUZz Beef Fujian Nov.18 Seafood Hebei Hebei, a province which neighbours Beijing, will from Nov 23 ban https://bit.ly/38SOZLW sales of imported frozen food from importers that don't upload data like source and flows into a tracing system, state media reported Nov.18 Aquatic Russia Chinese customs stop accepting imports from a Russian fishing vessel https://bit.ly/2IOKg3f products Zaliv Vostok JSC for one week Nov.17 Pomfret India Fuzhou in Outer Indian pomfret tested positive, state-owned Xinhua reported. https://bit.ly/38WlbOL Fujian Packaging Nov.16 Pork Unknown Dali in Outer Pork was loaded at Shanghai's Yangshan port with some of it coming to https://bit.ly/3lDzdZ9 Shaanxi Packaging Dali county while others to Xi'an and other locations. Nov.16 Shrimp Saudi Mudanjiang in Packaging The frozen shrimp in Shenyang wholesale aquatic market in Mudanjiang https://bit.ly/3nxb0E8 Arabia Heilongjiang was imported via Tianjin port, CCTV reported. The same batch of frozen shrimp in Tianjin also tested positive. Nov.16 Swordfish Malaysia Linyi in Food The fish was bought from an unnamed supplier in Fuzhou city in https://bit.ly/38OQhHT Shandong Fujian. Nov.16 New New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern said confident no meat products were [nL1N2I208 Zealand exported from the country with COVID-19, was seeking more information 3] from Chinese authorities. Nov.16 Pork France Xiamen in Outer Unnamed supplier. [nL1N2I200 Fujian Packaging K] Nov.15 Shanghai Shanghai city government said all imports of what it called [nL1N2I200 "high-risk" imported cold-storage food would need to be tested for K] coronavirus and have packaging disinfected before being stored or sold in the city. Nov.15 Pork Argentine Xi'an in Outer https://bit.ly/3f7OP4y Shaanxi Packaging Nov.14 Beef and Brazil, Jinan in On beef, The goods involved were imported by a unit of Guotai International [nL1N2I106 tripe Bolivia, Shandong tripe and Group and Shanghai Zhongli Development Trade W] New their Zealand internal and outer packaging Nov.14 Seafood Unknown Jining in Packaging [nL1N2I200 Shandong K] Nov.13 Pork Argentine Zhengzhou in Outer The pork was loaded from Qingdao part, Balong cold storage. https://bit.ly/36Hb8dA Henan Packaging Nov.13 Shrimp Saudi Lanzhou in Packaging The shrimp passed through Tianjin port customs. It was bought by [nL8N2I007 Arabia Gansu Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products Co Ltd, entered the country on 8] Oct. 21 and reached Lanzhou on Nov. 8. Nov.13 Cuttlefis India Outer China's customs said it would suspend imports from India's Basu https://bit.ly/3f5giDX h Packaging International for one week. Nov.12 China's National Health Commission tightened restrictions requiring [nL4N2HY2B "full coverage" testing and disinfection of imported food products, H] following a smattering of positive samples detected on beef, pork and seafood. The country has suspended imports of 99 suppliers from 20 countries. Nov.12 Boneless Brazil Wuhan in Outer The beef exporter was Marfrig Global Foods S.A. in Várzea [nL1N2HZ1I beef Hubei Packaging Grande. Brazilian government notified about the issue by Chinese 8] authorities. Marfrig's Várzea Grande facility had been previously suspended by China over coronavirus concerns. The ban, dating from Sep. 22, was lifted on Oct. 23. Nov.12 Beef Argentine Outer Argentine authorities said they had been informed about an alleged [nL1N2HY2X Packaging finding by China of traces of COVID-19 on the external packaging of a 8] shipment of the South American country's beef. Senasa, the Argentine government food safety body said that the meat in the packaging met all sanitary standards and that it is the first time that a case of this type had been registered with an Argentine product. Argentina and China have a previous agreement that if a case of COVID-19 is registered in an Argentine plant, it would halt shipments and request to be suspended by Beijing from the list of companies authorized to export to China until Senasa and then the Asian country had authorized the plant's reinstatement. Nov.10 Pomfret Indonesia China's Outer China's customs suspended imports from PT Anugrah Laut Indonesia for https://bit.ly/38QnFOE Custom Packaging one week Nov.8 Pork Germany Tianjin Packaging Tianjin started testing cold storage food sites after a staff who [nL4N2HU06 handled the frozen pork tested positive. R] Nov.7 Beltfish India Taiyuan in Outer Frozen beltfish imported into Tianjin from India had tested positive [nL4N2HU06 Shanxi Packaging for the virus, state media reported. R] Oct.31 Pork Brazil Weihai in Packaging Unknown supplier company [nL1N2HM08 Shandong 0] Oct.31 Fish Ecuador China's Outer China's customs suspended imports from FIREXPA S.A., an Ecuadorian [nL1N2HM04 Custom Packaging seafood product manufacturer, for one week. 3] Oct.28 Aquatic Russia Shandong Outer China's customs suspended accepting products from three Russian [nB9N2BH01 products Packaging fishing vessels for a week. 5] Oct.28 Aquatic Netherlan Shandong Outer China's customs suspended accepting products from one warehouse in [nB9N2BH01 products ds Packaging the Netherlands for a week . 5] Oct.1 Boneless Brazil China's Outer China stopped accepting import applications from Brazilian company https://bit.ly/35EFluB beef Custom Packaging Minerva S.A for a week. Sept.25 Hairtail Brazil Outer China stopped accepting import applications from Brazilian company [nB9N2GK00 fish Packaging Monteiro Industria de Pescados Ltd for a week from Sept 26. V] Sept.20 Squid Russia Jilin in Packaging The Changchun COVID-19 prevention office said the squid had been [nL3N2GH06 Changchun imported from Russia by a company in Hunchun city and brought to the X] provincial capital. Sept.11 Chinese customs have said they will suspend imports from companies https://bit.ly/38Mt4WV for a week if frozen food products test positive, and for a month if a supplier's products test positive for a third time or more. Aug.13 White Ecuador Xian in Outer https://bit.ly/32QzYGB shrimp Shaanxi Packaging Aug.13 Chicken Brazil Shenzhen in Food and Chinese authorities identified a meat plant owned by Brazilian [nS0N2F003 wings Guangdong packaging unlisted company as the source of the chicken wings. Brazil said it 8][nS0N2EH had not been officially notified and that it was seeking 00K] clarification from Chinese authorities. Brazil later asked for proof [nL1N2FS16 that chicken wings had coronavirus. B] Aug.10 White Ecuador Wuhu in Anhui Outer CCTV reported that imported frozen shrimp from Ecuador at a https://bit.ly/3pzynyM shrimp Packaging restaurant in Wuhu city tested positive. July 16 White Ecuador Yunnan Outer Producers included Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila S.A, Empacreci https://bit.ly/3kAA9vP shrimp Packaging S.A, Empacadora Del Pacifico Sociedad Anonima Edpacif S.A. July 14 White Ecuador Chongqing Outer https://bit.ly/2Iyve1J shrimp Packaging July 3 White Ecuador Xiamen in Outer Producers were Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila S.A and Empacreci https://bit.ly/3pDus3V shrimp Fujian Packaging S.A July 3 White Ecuador Dalian in Outer Producer was Empacadora Del Pacifico Sociedad Anonima Edpacif S.A https://bit.ly/3pDus3V shrimp Liaoning Packaging (Reporting by Shivani Singh and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)