The European Union decided yesterday to reinforce its controls on imports of Chinese rice products. In a move to respond to an increasing detection of products contaminated with unauthorised genetically modified (GM) rice, Member States endorsed a European Commission Decision to that effect at the meeting of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH). The Commission based the Decision on an audit carried out in China by its Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) in March 2011 and on the continuing notifications through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).