Ice Cream Tests Positive For Covid-19 In China

Three samples of ice cream have tested positive for Covid-19 in China.

Health authorities are now trying to trace people who may have come into contact with the ice cream, which was produced by the Tianjin Daqiaodao Food Company in the northern Tianjin Municipality.

A total of 4,836 boxes could be contaminated, 2,089 of which have now been sealed up and secured, according to China Daily.

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Authorities are now in the process of investigating 65 boxes that had been sold in the local market after the positive test results on Thursday (14 January).

Each box contained six ice cream products.

The products were made using milk powder from Ukraine and whey powder from New Zealand.

The virus may have been able to survive on the ice cream due to the cold temperatures it is stored at and the fact it contains fat.

However, Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist based at the University of Leeds, said it is most likely a 'one-off' and shouldn't be cause for alarm.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: "It's likely this has come from a person, and without knowing the details, I think this is probably a one-off.

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"Of course, any level of contamination is not acceptable and always a cause for concern, but the chances are that this is the result of an issue with the production plant and potentially down to hygiene at the factory.

"We probably don't need to panic that every bit of ice cream is suddenly going to be contaminated with coronavirus."

The company's 1,662 employees are now in quarantine and people who bought the ice cream have been told to monitor their health and movements and inform authorities.

700 of the employees have so far tested negative for Covid-19, with the remaining results yet to be released.

China currently has 1,113 active coronavirus cases, with 4,635 people tragically having died after testing positive for the deadly disease.

Topics: Food, World News, Coronavirus, China, Covid-19

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey