(Yicai Global) Jan. 23 -- Meatballs produced by a unit of China's Fujian Anjoy Foods are suspected of containing the African swine fever virus.

The products came under suspicion during a recent investigation by Qingcheng county in Gansu province, Anjoy Foods said in a statement today. The Xiamen-based company has inspected the production facilities and is cooperating with authorities, adding that it has not yet found the precise cause of the problem.

The unit in Taizhou, Jiangsu province turned out 9,000 tons of meatballs in 2017, accounting for around 2.6 percent of Anjoy Foods' total output of the foodstuff.

Anjoy Foods and its subsidiaries strictly comply with the agriculture ministry's requirements on controlling the deadly pig virus and relevant safety rules on procurement and production, the statement said, adding that the raw materials met specifications and production was legal.

The hog meat Anjoy Foods and its units source in China are from non-infected regions, with food licenses including various reports available, it said. The industry has little ability to detect the virus, it said, adding that the raw materials may have been contaminated even though they are licensed and come from virus-free areas. 

Anjoy Foods had operating revenue of CNY3.5 billion (USD514 million) in 2017, with net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company reaching CNY200 million (USD29.4 million), data show.

Shares of Anjoy Foods [SHA:603345] rose 0.3 percent today to close at CNY36.18 (USD5.31) each. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.2 percent.