Fining online frozen pork trade sparks controversy

Experts believe sellers should be held liable

Controversy surfaced after 24 households in Huanggang, Central China’s Hubei Province were each fined 200 yuan ($30) for buying Brazilimported frozen pork online.

The pork was considered problematic after a sample from the same batch tested positive for COVID-19.

Those who agreed with the punishment believe that individual customers should be more cautious. However, others remained skeptical about the punishment.

It is unknown when these consumers bought the pork, and if the online ordering and delivery platform they used, Meituan, which is being investigated by police, received the required permission or food safety certificate before putting the pork up for sale.

The positive test result of the same batch of imported pork was reported earlier on Tuesday to health authorities in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, and 86 samples from people and 122 samples from the packaging were collected and tested within 48 hours.

Local authorities in Huangzhou district of Huanggang city – where the residents live – have banned all purchases, storage and sales of imported frozen products since October 28.

Many netizens on Sina Weibo, however, said they believe, in this case, the consumers were innocent and victims to some extent. In fact, it is the platform Meituan that needs to be thoroughly investigated.

Zhi Zhenfeng, a legal expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times that as long as consumers buy imported pork products through legal channels, there is no reason to punish them, suggesting that fining the 24 households was unnecessary. However, some experts take a different view.

Yang Zhanqiu, deputy director of the pathogen biology department at Wuhan University, said that the move from Huangzhou district is understandable, as preventing the resurgence of the epidemic is a top priority of the local government, reflecting the government’s awareness of preventive measures.

Zhu Danpeng, a veteran of the food industry, told the Global Times on Friday that frozen imports may pose the greatest risk to additional COVID-19 outbreaks this winter. “More importantly, stricter measures will have to be implemented.”

Some netizens also worried that their local governments would follow the example set by the Huangzhou district – that is, banning the purchase of imported frozen meat and seafood, leading to higher prices.