China gov says kiwifruit exported to China from New Zealand tests positive for Covid - September 24, 2021

[kiwibird]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/126489684/zespri-kiwifruit-tests-positive-for-covid19-in-china

“Local authorities in areas where the fruit was distributed have taken steps ranging from temporarily removing fruit from shelves through to testing customers who purchased fruit from the retail outlets where the affected batch was sold.”

Mathieson said the fruit had been exported from Tauranga, where there is no community transmission of Covid-19, on August 16.

 

[Emily]

And the fruit was fine when it arrived in China. This must be very stressful for everyone involved.

"It had tested negative for Covid-19 in Shanghai, and was “disinfected as per standard China customs protocols before being cleared and distributed”. The positive test came from fruit held by a second-tier distributor in Hefei province, neighbouring Jiangsu province."

 

[Pathfinder]

Company press release:


CHINA COVID-19 TESTING

Media Statement

24 Sep 2021


"Recently we learned that the Market Supervision Authority and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Yaohai District Hefei City Anhui Province conducted routine COVID-19 testing of fruit in the wholesale market and a sample of our kiwifruit tested positive. Test results for all fruit under investigation has since come back negative.


We are taking this matter extremely seriously, immediately launching our emergency management plans and cooperating with the relevant government agencies to trace the product shipment.

The New Zealand kiwifruit industry adheres to the highest industry safety standards and to date there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in orchards or packhouses.

The affected fruit from the Bay of Plenty was packed in May before being shipped from Tauranga on 16 August. There remains no reported community transmission in the region. The fruit was tested for COVID-19 upon arrival in China by China Customs and Zespri, as well as being disinfected, as per standard China Customs protocols.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic, we have worked strictly in accordance with the requirements of the relevant national regulatory authorities and have cooperated with all the epidemic prevention and eradication work programmes for imported fruit and market distribution, to ensure that only the freshest, safest, high-quality Zespri Kiwifruit reaches our consumers.”

Dan Mathieson
Zespri CEO.


https://www.zespri.com/en-NZ/newsroomdetail/China-COVID-19-testing

 

[Emily]

​


We bought some NZ kiwi fruit today. They look fabulous so I had to show them off. How blessed we are to have this safe, nutritious and delicious food available to buy here in the US!

 

[Pathfinder]

Company press release:


CHINA COVID-19 TESTING UPDATE

Media Statement

27 Sep 2021


“We continue to work constructively with authorities following the test result.

This remains the only positive test on our kiwifruit, with all subsequent (and previous) COVID-19 tests proving negative.

We are continuing to supply our fruit into China as normal. All shipments into China have been processed in accordance with standard protocols, including testing for COVID-19 and disinfecting to provide additional certainty. This is the same process all previous imports to China have followed.

While we do expect some short-term impact, we are encouraged by the response from Chinese consumers who continue to show trust in us to provide only the highest-quality, safe Zespri Kiwifruit.

Our team in China is also working hard with our partners to ensure that trust is maintained, that our industry’s robust health and food safety processes are understood and that any impact on sales is minimised.

The New Zealand kiwifruit industry adheres to the highest industry safety standards and to date there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 in orchards or packhouses.”

Dan Mathieson
Zespri CEO.

https://www.zespri.com/en-NZ/newsroomdetail/newsroom-detail