CONSUMERS’ appetite for salmon and other seafood has crashed this month, after a resurgence in coronavirus infections in Beijing was traced to chopping boards for imported salmon in a wholesale food market in the capital.

Exporters all the way to Europe are feeling the pinch as the virus scare prompts supermarkets and e-commerce players such as Taobao, JD.com and Meituan in China, the world’s top consumer of frozen and fresh seafood, to slash salmon sales.

“I have cleaned out frozen fish from the refrigerator at home and won’t buy more,” said Ma Xuan, a government employee.

“I will wait till the origin of this new wave of virus is clear,” the 40-year-old said. “Maybe I overreacted, but who knows? I don’t want to risk the health of my family.”

Alibaba’s Taobao and JD.com have cut imported salmon sales in Beijing, Reuters checks show, while food delivery giant Meituan Dianping said it has pulled all salmon products from its platform nationally.

Meituan Grocery said it had stepped up examination of raw and fresh products, adding searches for Japanese cuisine and seafood on the Meituan app had plummeted across China since June 12.

Ele.me, Alibaba’s food delivery arm, has also halted sales of all imported seafood in Beijing.

“Seafood consumption in June will collapse due to public panic that seafood may be the culprit for the second wave of virus,” said Dan Wang, an Economist Intelligence Unit analyst. She expects China’s seafood imports to drop 3 percent this year.

China imported 4.44 million tons of seafood last year, worth 106 billion yuan (US$15 billion), from suppliers including Russia, Peru and Vietnam, customs data shows.(SD-Agencies)