A FROZEN food manufacturer has looked to reassure consumers that it has taken immediate action to secure its supply chains, after authorities in Northwest China’s Gansu Province confirmed over the weekend that traces of African swine fever were found in pork products on sale in the region.

Sanquan, one of China’s biggest frozen dumpling producers, said in a statement yesterday that it had acted straight away to remove potentially affected batches of its products from sales channels, and was communicating and working with authorities.

Chinese media reported Friday that traces of African swine fever had been found in three different Sanquan frozen dumpling products, following tests in Jiuquan, Gansu Province, and Xiangxi, Central China’s Hunan Province.

Apologizing for the trouble and inconvenience caused to consumers, Sanquan said in its statement that joint investigation teams with provincial agricultural authorities had been dispatched to Gansu and Hunan, and promised to “strictly comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on the prevention and control of African swine fever.”

Shares in Sanquan had plummeted by more than 10 percent yesterday morning after media reports first emerged Friday, before recovering following the company’s statement.

According to China Daily, agricultural authorities in Gansu Province confirmed “tests on pork products sold in the region returned positive results” for African swine fever, after a leaked report circulated online last week, claiming “83 out of 149 samples of processed pork products for sale” in five Gansu cities contained traces of the virus.

Beyond Sanquan, 10 other companies were cited in the leaked report as being affected by African swine fever. Authorities have said further tests are being carried out, with the leaked results coming “from a preliminary stage of the investigation.”

Sanquan has the biggest market share in China’s huge frozen food market, and has been recognized by the State Administration of Industry and Commerce as one of the country’s 500 largest private enterprises.

In 2017 the company made record revenue of 5.2 billion yuan (US$767.7 million ), with more than 400 different products on offer to consumers. That year, its frozen dumplings made up almost 38 percent of total sales. (CGTN)