'Zongzi' banned overseas

Zongzi [File photo]

More than 20 countries and regions have banned the traditional Chinese food Zongzi over fears of infectious diseases, Beijing Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said on Saturday.

According to the bureau, since some meat-filled Zongzi, also known as rice dumplings, have the risk of carrying viruses like bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease, countries and regions including Germany and France have banned any kind of Zongzi.

Another six countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Britain, have banned Zongzi containing meat or yolk, the bureau said.

Zongzi is a traditional Chinese food served during the Duanwu Festival, or Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar each year.