Fresh produce, aquatic products, and imported frozen foods are being more thoroughly screened by the Zhuhai Market Supervision Bureau in the wake of a cluster of infections reportedly originating last week from Beijing's Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market.

As of June 15, market supervision officials had taken 727 samplings from salmon, frozen meat, cutting boards, knives, sewage, and workers at 530 farmers markets, supermarkets, restaurants , and cold storage facilities throughout the city in collaboration with the Zhuhai Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Findings were negative in nucleic acid tests on all the food and environment samples and staff nasopharyngeal swabs, Zhuhai CDC reported on Tuesday.

CDC collects Norwegian salmon samples for nucleic acid testing [Photo provided by Xiangzhou Health Bureau to Zhujiang Evening Post]

Being traced through legal sources are current 696 kg of salmon stocked at citywide farmer's markets and 1,208 kg of salmon in cold storage. For now, no salmon is being sold at supermarkets; all supplies have been removed from shelves or returned to suppliers. 

Next, supervision will be strengthened in farmers markets that sell fresh produce, frozen meat, and aquatic products and freezers, and at shopping malls, supermarkets, restaurants moving large volumes of frozen meat and aquatic products, and food enterprises, especially those near schools. 

Farmers markets are urged to enhance disinfection of booths, chopping boards, ditches, and toilets. Live poultry is strictly subject to centralized slaughter and may not be traded.

Moreover, the Xiangzhou CDC also stresses the personal sanitation of those who prepare ready-to-eat food such as salmon. Locals are advised to pay attention to food safety and not slacken in their own epidemic prevention care.