Import and Delivery of Food Severely Challenged by Shanghai’s COVID Lockdowns

COVID lockdowns have created tremendous food distribution challenges in and around the Shanghai metropolitan area. While the Port of Shanghai remains open, importers face difficulties finding drivers to pick up cargo and deliver it to distribution warehouses. With millions of consumers under shelter-in-place orders, getting food to end users is also increasingly difficult.

Joel Haggard, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) senior vice president for the Asia Pacific, provides an update on the situation. He notes that distribution of imported meat is made even more challenging by China’s package testing and disinfection requirements, which were in place even before the lockdowns. Haggard remains optimistic, however, that consumer demand will rebound when restrictions on Shanghai residents are eased.