Maple Leaf suspending pork exports to China over COVID-19 cases in Brandon and Lethbridge

Maple Leaf Foods is temporarily suspending the exports of pork products to China after dozens of workers at the company's plant in Brandon, Man., and one at the Lethbridge, Alta., plant tested positive for COVID-19, it announced in a release on Wednesday.

The company says it's doing so because of a Chinese protocol that requires any plant reporting a COVID-19 positive case suspend exports to China temporarily.

"We respect China's new import protocols for Canadian products and are working cooperatively with Canadian and Chinese authorities to resume exports quickly," Michael McCain, Maple Leaf's president and CEO, said in a release.

On Wednesday, the company confirmed there are 60 cases of COVID-19 at the Brandon plant and one at the Lethbridge plant.

Maple Leaf says the person who contracted the virus in Lethbridge linked it to a social event outside of the plant and is now fully recovered. There have been no other positive cases since the single positive test there in July, the company says.

Public health officials in Manitoba maintain the Brandon workers contracted the virus outside of the workplace.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency told CBC News there is currently no scientific evidence that food or food packaging is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus.

"If the CFIA becomes aware of any potential food safety risks, appropriate actions are taken immediately to prevent contaminated foods from entering the domestic or international food supply," the agency said in an email to CBC News.