Empty fish tanks in a market in Beijing.

A number of Beijing residents have lately been complaining that fresh fish is not available at supermarkets in Beijing. Their complaints were prompted by rumors that the fresh fish being sold in Beijing is contaminated. Beijing officials refuted the rumors, saying that the lack of fresh fish at grocery stores is an individual choice made by each store, not a regulation applied to all Beijing supermarkets. 

The Beijing Municipal Drug Administration added that it strictly supervises markets - including supermarkets - around the city. Products are removed from shelves in a timely manner if they fail to comply with food safety laws.

The food safety manager of a Wu-Mart store said the supermarket stopped selling fresh fish in May, instead promoting frozen fish, which they think is more favored by their customers. Other supermarkets are also considering whether or not to continue selling fresh fish, primarily because of changes related to suppliers, according to reports.

At stores that have opted out of fresh fish sales, customers insist that the supermarkets inform them of the facts and logic behind that decision, instead of leaving them to blindly guess and panic.