"But to this point I've been advised it's not our beef but we'll keep working away on that."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the Herald they have not been informed officially of any coronavirus on New Zealand products.
"There are media reports that the city of Jinan, in China's Shandong province, has detected coronavirus on beef products imported from New Zealand.
"New Zealand has not been informed of this officially by the Chinese authorities.
"New Zealand officials are working now to ascertain the origin and veracity of these reports."
The packages entered through ports in Shanghai, the city's municipal health commission said.
More than 7500 people who may have been exposed tested negative for coronavirus, it said.
China is ramping up testing on frozen foods after frequently detecting Covid-19 on imported products.
It is not known how Covid-19 got onto the products that came from New Zealand, with a number of procedures taking place before it leaves our shores.
Frozen pork cases were also reported in the city of Zhengzhou and Xian. It's not clear if the cases are related.
The World Health Organisation has consistently said the risk of contracting Covid-19 from frozen packaging is low.
The role of frozen food and cold temperatures in potentially transmitting the virus was in the spotlight in New Zealand when officials probed the source of a mystery outbreak in August that began with a worker in a cold store facility.
"We do know from studies overseas, that actually, the virus can survive in some refrigerated environments for quite some time," director general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, told reporters at the time.
But how concerned should we actually be?
Having previously stated it's "highly unlikely that people can contract Covid-19 from food or food packaging", the World Health Organisation (WHO) reiterated its stance earlier this year
"People should not fear food, or food packaging or processing or delivery of food," WHO's head of emergencies programme Mike Ryan told a briefing in Geneva in August.
"I would hate to think that we would create an impression that there's a problem with our food or there's a problem with our food chains.
"There is no evidence that food or the food chain is participating in transmission of this virus. And people should feel comfortable and safe."
Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said the risk of Covid-19 transmission by food or food packaging was "negligible".
"Advice from the World Health Organization is that transmission by airborne droplets and aerosols is the dominant pathway for Coivd-19 infection," she said.
"We are closely watching and reviewing international developments about transmission and taking advice from the Ministry for Primary Industries and experts at the New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre about how we respond to these emerging risks as our knowledge about the virus grows," Karapeeva said in a statement.*
Since the early days of the response to Covid-19, the industry had been working to strict protocols that were developed with the Ministry for Primary Industries and provided guidance and a minimum standard for processors for operating.
"The protocol, which is consistent with other industries and guidance from the World Health Organisation, means we have a robust first line of defence against the transmission of the virus," Karaveeva said.
Under the protocol, employees observe physical distancing. In situations where this is not practicable, extra controls are put in place including personal protective equipment, she said. Employees also undergo temperature checks.
Karapeeva said companies are also recording who is working at each site and in which team or bubble they are operating in.
*This article has been updated after publication to include comments from the Meat Industry Association.
