Govt calls for probe into GM rice scandal

The Ministry of Health Tuesday called for a thorough investigation into a controversial US-backed research project on genetically-modified (GM) rice, amid rising concerns from the parents of dozens of pupils in Hunan Province who had allegedly been fed the rice as part of the experiment.

The calls came a day after the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it had not participated in or approved the project.

Yin Shi'an, a researcher with the center who was one of the leaders of the project was suspended from his post for giving inconsistent explanations when questioned, according to the center.

According to the center last week, Yin had received an article revealing the results of the experiment before it was published and had given his approval for the publication of the results, but he said repeatedly he had no idea whether the project had used "Golden Rice."

The article, published in the August edition of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed the project was backed by the US National Institute of Health and the US Department of Agriculture, and was led by Tang Guangwen from Tufts University.

It claimed that it had proven the GM rice, dubbed "Golden Rice," was effective in providing vitamin A for children, after an experiment on children from Hunan Province.

The experiment was conducted in May 2008 in a primary school in Jiangkou town, and 80 students aged from six to eight years old participated in the experiment, China CDC said.

Widespread panic over potential side-effects was unleashed among the children's parents. More than 70 parents gathered in a local school Monday, demanding an explanation from the school as well as the local officials, according to a mother of two boys surnamed He, whose sons were involved in the experiment.

About 200 parents were invited to a meeting in the Jiangkou government office Thursday.

However, no officials, researchers, or parents have confirmed the use of "Golden Rice" in the experiment thus far.