The Covid-19 crisis is adding to China’s food security risks as importers have been told to avoid frozen food imports from countries suffering severe outbreaks after positive tests on packaging of some imported seafoods.
China was already facing shortages of key staples after African swine fever devastated swine herds, not only in China but also in Vietnam. On top of this, China’s corn crop was hit by floods and insect infestations, supply chains were disrupted because of Covid restrictions, and food imports from countries such as the US and Australia have been hit by trade sanctions.
President Xi Jinping in August launched the Clean Plate campaign to encourage people not to waste food, a sign of the growing concern about food security.
The pork crisis began a year ago when China’s pig herds were hit hard by African swine fever. A recovery is now under way as…
