Chinese rice products to be checked for contamination

EU fears GM contamination in imported rice from China.

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The EU is planning to require all imports of rice products from China to be checked for contamination with unauthorised genetically modified varieties.  EU food-safety experts are expected to approve emergency measures on 14 November.

This is a response to a series of cases, dating back to 2006, in which Chinese rice products have been found to contain unauthorised GM varieties. The British, French and German authorities have reported, via the EU’s rapid alert system for food and feed, on imports in which GM rice was detected.

Testing

The measures proposed by the European Commission will require member states to test all imported rice products and to send results regularly to the Commission.

A spokesman for John Dalli, the European commissioner for health and consumer policy, said: “We have been having problems with rice imports from China for a long time. We have to find a solution.”

The EU has repeatedly asked the Chinese authorities to prevent the presence of unauthorised GM varieties in rice exports, but the response has not been judged satisfactory. China and other rice-exporting countries are expected to authorise additional GM varieties, risking an increase in the incidence of GM strains in products for export to the EU.

The EU currently imports about 40% of the rice it consumes, mainly from China, India, China, Pakistan and Vietnam.

The European rice-milling industry has urged the EU to tackle exports from countries that approve GM varieties that are not authorised for food use in the EU. Chris Downes, secretary-general of the Federation of European Rice Millers, said: “Countries outside the EU are pushing ahead with GM rice, and they will be increasingly unwilling to seek EU approval.”

Europe’s rice production capacities are limited – “we are a part of a global market”, he said – creating a problem for the EU in importing conventional rice. “The EU must take the initiative to develop a strategy”, he said. But “for the time being, this is unfortunately not happening”.