April 30, 2014

China rejects over one million tonnes of US transgenic corn

China has returned 1.124 million tonnes of corn and corn-based products contaminated with a transgenic component MIR162 from the US, the country's leading quality watchdog announced.

As of April 21, the said corn and corn-based products contaminated with MIR162, a transgenic component yet to be approved by Chinese authorities, had been returned to the US, said Chen Xitong, spokesman of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The administration has asked entry-exit inspectors nationwide to strengthen their monitoring efforts and have allowed them to return or destroy any agricultural products with unapproved transgenic components.

Chinese authorities found 183 batches of substandard food imports from 27 countries and regions and six shipments of substandard cosmetics in March, and rejected them for the domestic market.