Hong Kong authorities have said they found Covid-19 in samples taken from the packaging of imports of frozen beef from Brazil and frozen pork skin from Poland, vowing to step up inspections of imported food, Reuters reports.

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) took 36 samples for testing from a batch of around 1,100 cartons of frozen beef, weighing a total of 29 tonnes, imported from Brazil by sea. It found one outer packaging and two inner packaging samples that tested positive. It also collected 12 samples from a batch of around 300 cartons of frozen pork skin, weighing around seven tonnes, imported from Poland via sea. One inner packaging sample tested positive for Covid-19.

"The CFS has ordered the importers concerned to dispose the beef and pork skin of the same batches," the government said in a statement. "In addition, the CFS will step up the sampling of similar products for testing."