Officials check food exhibits for the 5th China International Import Expo before they are loaded on Monday.

Transportation of imported cold-chain food for display at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the expo venue, has started as preparations for the 5th China International Import Expo came into the final stage, Shanghai's market regulator announced on Monday.

As of Sunday, the warehouse on Xiangda Road in suburban Qingpu District, the main depot serving the expo this year, had received 2,269 boxes of imported cold-chain food from 89 exhibitors, according to the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.

These include meat, aquatic products, dairy products and fruits.

Nucleic acid sample tests have been conducted, with all results coming back negative.

The first batch of imported cold-chain food for display was delivered to the center on Monday morning.

At the warehouse, the packages are disinfected and subjected to nucleic acid tests, with imported cold-chain food products put under a closed-loop management mechanism.

Officials make a close inspection of food exhibits on Monday.

A single food exhibit must go through 13 layers of cleaning, nucleic acid testing, labeling and transportation before it can be brought to the center.

Each food display container has a label that tracks vital information during the transit process.

Each exhibitor's booth, the country of origin of the imported food, the organizations responsible for nucleic acid tests, and the time and date when the items arrived at the warehouse are all tracked using a corresponding code.

According to the administration, food exhibits without tags cannot be displayed at the CIIE, which will run on November 5-10.

Officials said they will test the refrigeration temperature of transportation vehicles, disinfect the interior and check relevant code once vehicles arrive at pavilions.

Throughout the six-day exhibition, food exhibits will be checked at random and at any place inside the expo area.

On-the-spot patrols will be increased from Tuesday at pavilions, targeting acts of eating uncooked fresh food like salmon and tuna, and relevant quarantine, disinfection and nucleic acid test proofs of food exhibitors, according to the administration.

Officials record details about the food exhibits.