(Yicai Global) Oct. 22 -- China is adopting a stricter disinfection policy regarding frozen food to be showcased at the upcoming China International Import Expo to protect visitors from new Covid-19 infections.

Each packaging of imported frozen food will be peeled down to the last layer and disinfected, Shanghai Observer reported, citing the expo organizer. The approved items will feature in the food exhibition section of the annual trade event held in Shanghai Nov. 5-10.

The CIIE bureau has set up a special warehouse to test and handle such foods in full isolation. The 30,000-square meter warehouse has the capacity of 12,000 tons of frozen food, said Xu Liang, deputy general manager at Huachen You'an Supply Chain.

The national event requires tight cold chain logistics. Some 49 vehicles are expected to transport frozen food items into the warehouse next week. Yesterday, the first batch of 16 boxes of beef, lamb, and venison, weighing over 300 kilograms, entered the facility.

The process of disinfecting interior packaging was added this year to minimize risks, said Chen Yan, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation's food safety department.

Workers will repackage each item and mark it safe for use. Meanwhile, the new wrapper can be traced. An added ID tag will contain information about the origins of the product and the staff members that have been handling the item and tested it for Covid-19 at the warehouse.

In the past, disinfection and nucleic acid testing only pertained to exterior packaging, which made it difficult to timely detect and avoid the potential risk of virus transmission, Chen added.

Editor Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi