The Brazilian government said on Thursday that it was trying to clarify the “alleged contamination” by the coronavirus of chickens it exported to China, while ruling out the risk of human contamination.
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The Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement “not to have been officially notified by the Chinese authorities of the facts”, but added that it had activated the relevant mechanisms in China to obtain “information allowing to clarify the circumstances of the alleged contamination ”.
The ministry, which cites the Food Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), adds that “there is no scientific evidence for the transmission of the COVID virus. 19 from food or frozen food packaging ”.
Finally, the ministry stresses that frozen products “obey rigid protocols to guarantee public health”.
The virus was detected on samples of frozen chicken wings taken on Tuesday, the city hall of the Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen (south) said in a statement.
The tests of people who have been in contact with the contaminated products, as well as their relatives, have all been negative, according to the town hall.
Brazil is the world’s largest producer of chicken meat and contamination of its chickens would be very damaging to its exports, especially to China, its biggest customer.
Brazil was still in 2017 the first supplier of frozen chicken to China, with an annual value of nearly one billion dollars and representing nearly 85% of the imports of the Asian country.
It has since lost market share to Thailand, Argentina and Chile, according to the specialist firm Zhiyan.