Brussels - The European Union on Tuesday decided to crack down on imports of rice from China after member states said that some products contained banned genetically-modified (GM) material. From April 15, only rice and rice products such as noodles, rice paper and rice starch which feature on a special EU-approved list will be allowed into the 27-member bloc, a statement from the EU's executive, the European Commission, said.
Products which feature on the list will have to undergo testing in accredited EU laboratories, officials said.
The crackdown came after EU member states reported that they had found traces of the genetically-modified rice "Bt 63" in products made in or sent from China.
According to EU laws, only GM organisms which have passed EU safety checks can be marketed in Europe. Bt 63 rice has not passed such tests, officials said.
