As Beijing deals with dozens of daily COVID-19 cases, making sure the city's residents have enough food is vital.
The capital city's recent outbreak caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant has prompted more restrictions. People flocked to stores and supermarkets in the early stages to stockpile food and other daily essentials - just in case of a potential shortage.
But the available stock in the Shuitun wholesale market in northwest Beijing tells a different story.
The market has all kinds of food in store, including red meat, carrots and watermelons. Customers usually show up before sunrise, and the market starts bustling as early as 3 a.m.
There are many other wholesale markets, such as Xinfadi market located in southern part of Beijing, that are well-stocked just like this one in Beijing, which partly indicates Chinese capital has more than enough food supplies for 22 million residents in this COVID-19 outbreak.
"At present, more than 1,100 tonnes of various commodities are listed on the market every day, including grain and oil, fruits and vegetables, meat and eggs and other major daily necessities," said Sun Tiexin, deputy general manager of Beijing Ershang Meat Food Group.
Workers unload boxes of vegetables at Xinfadi market, Beijing, May 15, 2022. /CFP
The manager said the supplies come from as many as six neighboring provinces. As many as 130 trucks are delivering goods to Beijing and facilitating purchases around the capital.
Sun said the market information center monitors and provides feedback on the quantity and price of listed agricultural products on a daily basis. The center also conducts timely research, analysis and prediction of any abnormal fluctuation.
The market encourages merchants to purchase goods from the place of origin, reduce circulation links to lower the costs, and also set an upper limit on prices.
"During this key period, we as a group have established a 24-hour non-stop guarantee system to ensure uninterrupted production, distribution and service," said Chen Fangjun, spokesperson of Beijing Capital Agribusiness Group.
He added that as of now, the total commercial inventory of the group's major commodities has increased by 20 percent, and it's able to meet market demand for about 60 days.
With Beijing still reporting dozens of new cases a day, wholesale markets are telling residents that food supplies are in good condition so far - and they may rest assured.