| Wet market | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A meat stall at a wet market in Hong Kong | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 傳統市場 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 传统市场 | ||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | chuántǒng shìchǎng | ||||||||||
| Jyutping | cyun4 tung2 si5 coeng4 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | traditional market | ||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 街市 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 街市 | ||||||||||
| Jyutping | gaai1 si5 | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | street market | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Awet market (also called apublic market[4] or atraditional market[5]) is amarketplace sellingfresh foods, such asmeat,fish, andproduce, and other consumption-orientedperishable goods in a non-supermarket setting, as distinguished from "dry markets" that sell durable goods, such asfabrics,kitchenwares andelectronics.[6][10] These include a wide variety of markets, such asfarmers' markets,fish markets, andwildlife markets.[14] Not all wet markets sell live animals,[17] but the term wet market is sometimes used to signify a live animal market in which vendors slaughter animals upon customer purchase,[21] such as is done with poultry inHong Kong.[22] Wet markets are common in many parts of the world,[26] notably inChina,Southeast Asia, andSouth Asia. They often play critical roles in urbanfood security due to factors of pricing, freshness of food, social interaction, and local cultures.[27] Despite their importance in local food systems and livelihoods, wet markets often lack essential food safety infrastructure, such ascold chains, standardized hygiene practices, regular inspection, and producttraceability.[28]
Most wet markets do not trade in wild or exotic animals,[33] but some that do have been linked to outbreaks ofzoonotic diseases includingCOVID-19,H5N1 avian flu,severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), andmonkeypox.[37] Several countries have banned wet markets from holding wildlife.[34][38] Media reports that fail to distinguish between all wet markets and those with live animals or wildlife, as well as insinuations of fosteringwildlife smuggling, have been blamed for fuelingSinophobiarelated to the COVID-19 pandemic.[41]
The term "wet market" came into common use in Singapore in the early 1970s when the government used it to distinguish such traditional markets from thesupermarkets that had become popular there.[42] The term was added to theOxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2016, as a term used throughout Southeast Asia.[43] TheOED's earliest cited use of the term is fromThe Straits Times of Singapore in 1978.[8]
The "wet" in "wet market" refers to the constantly wet floors due to the melting of ice used to keep food from spoiling,[42][44][45] the washing of meat and seafood stalls and the spraying of fresh produce that are common in wet markets.[16][20][44]
The term "public market" may be synonymous with "wet market",[1][2][3] although it may sometimes refer exclusively to state-owned and community-owned wet markets.[1][2][3] Wet markets may also be called "fresh food markets" and "good food markets" when referring to markets consisting of numerous competing vendors primarily selling fresh produce like fruits and vegetables.[9] The term "wet market" is frequently used to signify a live animal market that sells directly to consumers,[18][19] although the terms are not synonymous.[25][46]
Although the term "wet market" may refer to markets that sell wild animals and wildlife products, it is not synonymous with the term "wildlife market" which exclusively refers to markets that contain wildlife products.[30][25][29][31][46]

The term "wet market", which specifies markets that sell fresh produce and meat, includes a broad variety of markets.[1][11] Wet markets can be categorized according to their ownership structure (privately owned,state-owned, orcommunity-owned), scale (wholesale orretail), and produce (fruits, vegetables, slaughtered meat, or live animals).[1][11] They can be further subcategorized based on whether the meat inventory originates fromdomesticated orwild animals.[1][11]
Traditional wet markets are typically housed in temporary sheds, open-air sites,[1][47][48][16] or partially open commercial complexes,[49][25] while modern wet markets are housed in buildings often equipped with improved ventilation, freezing, and refrigeration facilities.[1][50][51]
Wet markets are less dependent on imported goods than supermarkets due to their smaller volumes and lesser emphasis on consistency.[52] Wet markets have been described in a 2019 food security study as "critical for ensuring urbanfood security", particularly in Chinese cities.[1] The roles of wet markets in supporting urban food security include food pricing and physical accessibility.[1]
Academic papers in urban studies, studies on food distribution, and the SingaporeNational Environment Agency have noted lower prices, greater freshness of food, and the facilitation of both bargaining and social interaction as key reasons for the persistence of wet markets.[1][45][53][54] The persistence of wet markets has also been attributed to "culinary traditions that call for freshly slaughtered meat and fish as opposed to frozen meats".[45]
Indeveloping countries withagriculture-based economies, fresh meat is mainly distributed through traditional wet markets or meat stalls.[55] Wet markets selling fresh meat are often attached to, or located near,slaughter facilities.[55]

Ifsanitation standards are not maintained, wet markets can spreaddisease. Those that carry live animals and wildlife are at especially high risk of transmittingzoonoses. Because of the openness, newly introduced animals may come in direct contact with sales clerks, butchers, and customers or to other animals which they would never interact with in the wild. This may allow for some animals to act asintermediate hosts, helping a disease spread to humans.[35]
Outbreaks ofzoonotic diseases includingCOVID-19,H5N1 avian flu,severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), andmonkeypox have been traced to live wildlife markets where the potential for zoonotic transmission is greatly increased.[35][56][57][36] Wildlife markets in China have been implicated in the2002 SARS outbreak; it is thought that the market environment provided optimal conditions for the coronaviruses of zoonotic origin that caused both outbreaks to mutate and subsequently spread to humans.[58] The exactorigin of theCOVID-19 pandemic is yet to be confirmed as of February 2021[59] and was originally linked to theHuanan Seafood Wholesale Market inWuhan, China due to reports that two-thirds of the initial cases had direct exposure to the market,[60][61][62][63] although a 2021 WHO investigation concluded that the Huanan market was unlikely to be the origin due to the existence of earlier cases.[59]
Due to unhygienic sanitation standards and the connection to the spread of zoonoses andpandemics, critics have grouped live animal markets together withfactory farming as major health hazards in China and across the world.[64][65][66][67] In March and April 2020, some reports have said that wildlife markets in Asia,[68][69][70] Africa,[71][72][73] and in general all over the world are prone to health risks.[74]
Due to the suspicions that wet markets could have played a role in the emergence of COVID-19, a group of US lawmakers,NIAID directorAnthony Fauci,UNEP biodiversity chief Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, andCBCGDF secretary general Zhou Jinfeng called in April 2020 for the global closure of wildlife markets due to the potential forzoonotic diseases and risk toendangered species.[75][76][77][78] In April 2021, the World Health Organization called for a total ban on the sale of live animals in food markets in order to prevent future pandemics.[79]
Planetary health studies have called for disease control intervention measures, in lieu of outlawing live-animal wet markets, to be implemented in wet markets.[80][81][82] These include proposals for "standardised global monitoring of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions", which theWorld Health Organization announced in April 2020 that it was developing as requirements for wet markets to open.[80] Other proposals include less homogeneous policies that are specialized for local social, cultural, and financial factors,[82] as well as new proposed rapid assessment tools for monitoring the hygiene and biosecurity of live animal stalls in wet markets.[83]
During the first few months of theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Chinese wet markets were heavily criticized in media outlets as a potential source for the virus.[63] Media reports urging for permanent blanket bans on all wet markets, as opposed to solely live animal markets or wildlife markets, have been criticized for undermininginfection control needs to be specific about wildlife markets[11] and distracting public attention from local public health threats.[40] SomeWestern media portrayed wet markets without distinguishing between general wet markets, live animal wet markets, and wildlife markets,[84] using montages of explicit images from different markets across Asia without identifying locations.[11][25][85] These depictions have been criticized by other journalists and anthropologists as sensationalist, exaggerated,Orientalist, and fuelingSinophobia and "Chinese otherness".[11][25][39][40][85]
There are wet markets throughout the world, with the largest concentration in Asia followed by Europe and North America according to touristic social network data in 2019.[86]
According to a 2013 study onagricultural value chains, approximately 90% of households inEthiopia across all income groups purchase their beef through local butchers in wet markets.[87][88]
The most common agriculturalsupply chain inKenya involves farmers selling their produce to collectors who then sell the produce to retailers in wet markets.[89] A 2006 study in the areas aroundNairobi andKisumu found that 21% of farmers sold to collectors, 17% sold directly to wholesalers, and 14% sold directly to wet market vendors.[89] The collectors and wholesalers both predominantly sold their produce inventory to wet market vendors.[89] The customers of the wet markets in the study were predominantly end consumers, although a small share of the wet markets also sold to restaurants.[89]

According to a 2011USDAForeign Agricultural Service report, most of the clientele of traditional open-air wet markets inNigeria are low and middle income consumers.[90]
From 2008 to 2009, a group of food safety researchers launched an initiative working with a small group of butchers in the wet market section ofBodija Market inIbadan to promote positive food safety practices and peer-to-peer training.[91][92] The initiative led to 20% more meat samples being of acceptable quality.[91][92] A follow-up study in 2019 on the same group of butchers found that, while many of the butchers still remembered the food safety practices, "none of the butchers reported that they continued to buy and replace the materials after the exhaustion of those distributed during the intervention programme".[91] The follow-up study found that the microbiological sanitation in 2018 was even worse than before the 2008–2009 intervention.[91]
In 2014, the license of the slaughterhouse in the wet market section of Bodija Market was revoked due to unhygienic meat handling practices.[91][93] In its place, the local government opened the Ibadan Central Abattoir in Amosun Village,Akinyele through public-private partnerships.[91][93] The new facility is equipped with modern facilities for slaughter and processing of meat were provided in 2014 through public-private partnerships and is one of the largest abattoirs in West Africa, consisting of 15 hectares of land with stalls for 1000 meat sellers, 170 shops, administrative building, clinic, canteen, cold room, and an incinerator.[91] In June 2018, local newspapers reported that five people were killed in the Bodija Market abattoir when a security team attempted to enforce the forcible relocation of Ibadan abattoirs to the new facilities as ordered by the local government.[91][94]
The most common agricultural supply chain inUganda involves farmers selling their produce to wholesalers, who in turn sell to retailers in wet markets.[89] A 2006 study in the areas aroundKampala andMbale found that 51% of farmers sold to wholesalers and 18% sold directly to wet market vendors, while 34% of the wholesalers sold to wet market vendors.[89] The customers of the wet markets in the study were predominantly end consumers, although a small share of the wet markets also sold to restaurants.[89]

InBrazil, regulations on wet markets are handled at themunicipal level.[95][96][97] The regulations widely vary across Brazil, with zoning rules prohibiting wet markets in some municipalities.[95][96]
A 2003 study found that wet markets were losing ground in food retail to supermarkets, which had an overall food retail market share of 75%.[97] The gains of supermarkets over traditional food retailers in Brazil were predominantly in meat and seafood retail, with the supermarkets' fresh meat & seafood market shares typically three times greater than their fresh fruits & vegetables market share.[97]
According to a 2010USDAForeign Agricultural Service report, each small town inColombia typically has a wet market that is supplied by local production and opens at least once a week.[98] The report described both retail wet markets and wholesale wet markets that provide food products for "Mom'n Pop stores".[98] It estimated the number of wet markets at around 2,000, but noted that the number was slowly decreasing in large cities despite the presence of large wet markets likeCorabastos [es] inBogotá.[98]
InGreenland, local wet markets known asbrætter sell food from wild animals, includingseal meat,whale meat,reindeer meat, andpolar bear meat.[99]Brætter do not sell live animals, but most meat sold inbrætter is fresh and recently butchered.[99] While larger towns have purpose-built facilities, thebrætter in smaller towns and village settlements sell seafood in open-air stands without running water or electricity.[100] Only fresh meat was allowed to be sold inNuuk atKalaaliaraq Market, the largest fresh food market in Greenland, until 2018 when the government of Greenland began permitting the sale of dried and salted meat at Kalaaliaraq.[99]
Trichinosis is a common problem in Greenland due to the consumption of wild polar bear meat.[99][101] In 2016, several people were infected withTrichinella roundworms from eating polar bear meat from a localbrætter even though the meat had initially passed inspections.[99][101] As of 2017,Trichinella inspections for seal and polar bear meat sold atbrætter is not mandatory.[99]

Some traditionalMexican open-air markets calledtianguis, such as the Mercado Margarita Maza de Juárez inOaxaca, are separated into a wet market (zona húmeda) and a dry market (zona seca).[102] A 2002 study observed a trend that Mexican consumers, especially those in the middle class, increasingly prefer supermarkets for beef purchases as opposed to traditional wet markets.[103][104] In 2014, a study of Mexican beef retail also noted an ongoing transition from traditional full-service wet markets to self-service meat display cases in supermarkets.[104]
In Mexico, conflicts between traditional and modern retailers are handled at themunicipal andstate levels.[95] Some local zoning rules, such as those in the central districts ofMexico City andMorelia, have prohibited wet markets from operating in urban districts without providing further assistance to the retailers.[95][96]
In April 2020,The Hill reported that wet markets were still operating in the United States and that animal rights activists were calling for the closure of wet markets, in addition to their existing calls to close live animal markets and factory farms.[105]
Wet markets were common in New York City until refrigeration became commonplace in the 20th century.[46] From the 1990s to 2020, the number of live animal wet markets in New York City nearly doubled.[46] As of 2020, there are more than 80 wet markets in New York City that stock live animals and slaughter them on-demand for customers.[46][105] They are mostly poultry markets located in outer-borough immigrant communities where they are culturally significant and pose low public health risks relative to wildlife markets and other types of exotic wet markets.[46]

Since the 1990s, large cities across China have moved traditional outdoor wet markets to modern indoor facilities.[48][1] As of 2018, wet markets remained the most prevalent food outlet in urban regions of China despite the rise ofsupermarket chains since the 1990s.[106] During the 2010s, "smart markets" equipped with e-payment terminals emerged as traditional wet markets faced increasing competition from discount stores.[107] Wet markets also began facing competition from online grocery stores, such asAlibaba's Hema stores.[20]
Thetrade of wildlife is not common in China, particularly in large cities,[20] and most wet markets in China do not contain live or wild animals besides fish held in tanks.[108] In the early 1980s, small-scale wildlife farming began under theChinese economic reform.[109] It began to expand nationwide with government support in the 1990s, but was largely concentrated in the southeastern provinces.[109] In 2003, wet markets across China were banned from holding wildlife after the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak, which was directly tied to such practices.[34] Some poorly regulated Chinese wet markets provided outlets for the wildlife trade industry after the ban, although the illegal wildlife trade in China was predominantly in fur rather than in food or medicine.[20][16][109] TheHuanan Seafood Wholesale Market inWuhan was linked to theorigin of COVID-19 due to its early cluster of cases,[110][59] leading to further restrictions and enforcement in 2020.[16][30][111] In April 2020, the Chinese government unveiled plans to further tighten restrictions on wildlife trade.[20][16][109]

Large centralised wet markets have existed inHong Kong since at least 16 May 1842, whenCentral Market was opened.[112] Wet markets are most frequented by older residents, those with lower incomes, and domestic helpers who serve approximately 10 percent of Hong Kong's residents.[113] Most neighbourhoods contain at least one wet market.[20] Wet markets have become destinations for tourists to "see the real Hong Kong".[114]
Prior to 2000, many of Hong Kong's wet markets were managed by theUrban Council (within Hong Kong Island and Kowloon) or theRegional Council (in theNew Territories). Since 2000, wet markets in Hong Kong have been regulated by theFood and Environmental Hygiene Department.[115][116] Under the Slaughterhouse Regulation, the slaughtering of live bovine animals, swine, goats, sheep orsoliped for human consumption must take place in a licensed slaughterhouse,[117] None of the wet markets in Hong Kong hold wild or exotic animals.[20]
In 2018, the FEHD operated 74 wet markets housing approximately 13,070 stalls.[115] In addition, theHong Kong Housing Authority operated 21 markets while private developers operated about 99 (in 2017).[118]
TheIndian meat, poultry, and seafood industries are largely dependent on wet markets.[119][120] According toFood & Beverage News, domestic consumers prefer freshly cut meat from wet markets over processed and frozen meats despite use of outdated and unhygienic facilities by the majority of Indian wet market abattoirs.[121]
InDelhi, the food retail system consists of the traditional informal food retail sector (wet markets, pushcarts, andkirana "mom-and-pop" stores), rent-free-subsidizedretailers' cooperatives, government-owned food distribution channels, and private modern supermarkets.[122] Delhi wet markets generally consist of a number of small retailers that cluster together to sell their produce during daily fixed hours.[122] A 2010 study of Delhi food retail found that 68% to 75% of the total quantity of fruits and vegetables sold to consumers were distributed by wet market retailers.[122] The same study surveyed consumers at 518 wet market retailers in Delhi and found that their transactions included relatively little bargaining, with only a 3% average difference between the final price and the initially quoted price.[122]
Traditional wet markets, calledpasars (includingpasar malam andpasar pagi), are found across inIndonesia in both urban and rural areas. Wet markets face increasing competition from supermarkets as well as e-commerce companies likeShopee andTokopedia.[50] As of 2020, there are 12.3 million traders across 13,450 wet markets in Indonesia.[5]
In 2016, the Indonesia government's policy to stabilise beef prices required importers to sell cheaper-priced meats in wet markets instead of in supermarkets and hypermarkets.[123] InGreater Jakarta, Indian buffalo meat is predominantly sold in wet markets, with limited market penetration from supermarkets and hypermarkets as of 2018.[123] In contrast, only 7% of consumers inJakarta purchase Australian beef from supermarkets in 2018.[123] In 2018, Indonesian wet market vendors that import goods expressed concerns over the decrease in value of theIndonesian rupiah.[50]
Wet markets throughout Indonesia have undergone major renovations in the 2010s under a government program.[124] In 2018, the first modern wet market opened inJakarta with a laboratory as well as freezing and refrigeration facilities.[50] Through June 2020, health protocols and mobility restrictions from theCOVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia resulted in a 65% reduction in revenue for wet market traders, according to the Traditional Market Traders Association (IKAPPI).[5] In mid-2020, wet markets in several provinces accounted for several major clusters of COVID-19 cases.[125] AnAirlangga University survey from May to June 2020 found that people inEast Java wet markets followed health protocols, including social distancing and mask-wearing, the least relative to other public places in East Java.[125]
In March 2020, the Malaysian government temporarily banned the operation of all wet markets (includingpasar malam andpasar pagi) as anational response to the coronavirus pandemic.[126]

In thePhilippines, wet markets are managed bycooperatives according to legislation such as theCooperatives Code (RA 7160) and theAgriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (RA 8435).[127] The Philippine government has control over the price of some commodities sold in palengkes, especially critical foods such asrice.[128][129]
In July 2017, the digital wet market Palengke Boy was launched inDavao City to compete against traditional wet markets.[130] In March 2020, thePasig local government launched a mobile wet market to ensure access to basic goods during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[131]

Wet markets inSingapore are subsidized by the government.[50] TheTekka Market,Tiong Bahru Market, andChinatown Complex Market are prominent wet markets containing seasonal fruit, fresh vegetables, imported beef, and live seafood.[132]
In the early 1990s, the slaughter of animals was banned in 12 inner-city markets and 22 wet market centers inSingapore.[133] In early 2020, theNational Environment Agency issued advisories for "high standards of hygiene and cleanliness" for the 83 markets that it oversees ina response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.[45]
InSri Lanka, where poultry is the leading livestock industry and constitutes the only meat export industry, the majority ofbroiler chickens are mechanically processed in semi-automated plants. However, poultry is still slaughtered in wet markets that generally cater to specific groups of customers andethnic groups.[134] A 2017 study of 102 semi-automated poultry processing plants and 25 poultry-slaughtering wet markets found that 27.4% of the broiler neck skin samples from the semi-automated processing facilities tested positive forCampylobacter contamination, while 48% of broiler neck skin samples from the wet market processing facilities tested positive forCampylobacter contamination.[134]
Many wet markets in Taiwan originated as groups of peddlers and roadside stalls that organized into informal physical structures.[135] By 2020, wet markets had been in decline throughout Taiwan for decades and revitalization efforts have been largely unsuccessful.[135]
In 1997, a report by theTaipei city government indicated that the city had 61 major wet markets with almost 10,000 registered vendors.[136] The report also indicated that most of the city's wet markets were in serious need of repair and that almost 3,500 of the vendor stalls lay vacant.[136] The Nanmen Market in Taipei is a government-owned traditional wet market that was opened in 1907 during theJapanese colonial rule.[51][136] The market building was demolished in October 2019 and the market temporarily relocated until its replacement modern 12-floor building is completed in 2022.[51]
One of the largest wet markets in Taiwan, the Jianguo Market inTaichung, was torn down and replaced by a new facility in 2016.[135] The new facilities provided better hygiene, disability accessibility, and refrigeration, but the relocation was initially met with hesitation from the local vendors before a grassroots outreach campaign led to greater acceptance.[135]
Wet markets are the dominant preferred venue for grocery shopping inThailand due to the local preference for fresh food,[137] as well as lower prices and familiarity with shopkeepers.[50]
In October 2018, a Meat & Livestock Australia report said that while theUnited Arab Emirates's grocery retail sector is highly developed, wet markets are still prominent throughout the country.[123]
In 2017, there were approximately 9,000 wet markets, 800 supermarkets, 160 shopping malls and 1.3 million small family-owned stores acrossVietnam according to government estimates.[138]
In 2017, theHanoi city government planned to renovate the city's wet markets and transform them into modern shopping malls.[138] The plan was met with resistance from wet market vendors after significant declines in sales figures from other markets that were moved to the basements of high-end shopping centers.[138]
In 2020,Prime Minister of VietnamNguyễn Xuân Phúc announced proposals to ban wildlife trade in Vietnam.[38]
Rungis International Market in theÎle-de-France region, created in 1969, is the largest market for fresh food in the whole of Europe, selling food from both within and without Île-de-France.[139] The largest wholesale food market in the world,[140] and perhaps even the largest fresh food market,[141] various foods are offered, including sheep[142] and eel.[143] By 1972, 6000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables were shipped to the market daily.[144]
The Porta Palazzo Market in the northwestern city ofTurin is the largest street market in Europe,[145] having about a hundred fresh food producers sell their goods at the height of the season in the city's historic district.[146] The Turinese authorities, working alongside those of the market, have increasingly attempted to reconfigure the public's perception of the market as a multicultural space and a site for tourism, featuring cuisine from around the world.[147]

TheIveagh Markets inDublin,Ireland was an indoor market that was divided into a dry market that sold clothes and a wet market that sold fish, fruit, and vegetables.[148][149][150] The market operated from 1906 and had become dilapidated by the 1980s.[149][150] The last stalls closed in the 1990s and the building is still derelict as of 2018 despite failed attempts to redevelop the site into a new food market complex.[149][150][148]
In 2020,SBS reported that wet markets were once common in Australia and were gradually shut down over time as abattoirs were centralised and moved away from cities.[151] Media outletsDaily Mercury andHerald Sun, as well asAgriculture MinisterDavid Littleproud andLeader of the Labor PartyAnthony Albanese, have described various fresh meat, seafood, and produce markets in Australia, such as theSydney Fish Market and Melbourne Fish Market, as wet markets in response to international calls to ban wet markets.[152][153][154][155]
wet marketn. South-East Asian a market for the sale of fresh meat, fish, and produce
While "wet markets", where water is sloshed on produce to keep it cool and fresh, may be considered unsanitary by western standards, most do not trade in exotic or wild animals and should not be confused with "wildlife markets" – now the focus of vociferous calls for global bans.
That has prompted heavy scrutiny for wet markets, a key facet of China's daily life, even though only a few sell wildlife. Some U.S. officials have called for them, and others across Asia, to be closed.
Most of the attention so far has been focused on the interface between humans and the intermediate host, with fingers of blame being pointed at Chinese wet markets and eating habits,...
Knights hoped China would also play a role to help "countries around the world. It's no good simply banning the trade in China. The same risks are very much out there in Asia as well as Africa."
...what we do know is that wet markets such as Wuhan, and for that matter Agartala's Golbazar or the thousands such that exist in Asia and Africa allow for easy transmission of viruses and other pathogens from animals to humans.
More wine and spirits are now sold to the consumers and re-sellers through the wholesalers located in the traditional open wet markets (mostly patronized by the low and middle income consumers).
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Even the meat market in India is largely a wet market -a market selling fresh meat, fish and other such produce — and has small, unorganised players.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)What we're talking about isn't all wet markets, because the Sydney fish market is a wet market, what we're talking about here is unregulated markets that engage in some exotic species that are dangerous
Australia also has wet markets - e.g. the Melbourne and Sydney Fish Market.
Speaking to the ABC on Thursday, agriculture minister David Littleproud said he was not targeting all food markets. "A wet market, like the Sydney fish market, is perfectly safe," he said.