China — Cereals and Bakery Products — Rice
China received 23 RASFF border-rejection notifications in Rice, part of Cereals and Bakery Products between 2023-Q4 and 2026-Q3. Volume peaked at 6 in 2026-Q3, with the trend roughly flat year-on-year. The most-cited issue is genetically modified. Measured against EU import value, that runs at 407.3 notifications per $1 billion of imports of this commodity from China over the last 3 years. The list below gives the 20 most recent rejections by date and RASFF reference, with the country that notified it and the hazard found; 12 carry the laboratory result and 12 say what happened to the consignment.
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Key figures
If you import rice from China
Higher risk. China ranks 1st of 3 origins shipping rice to the EU on border rejections per $1 billion of EU imports, at 407.3 — the highest of them.
least riskmost risk
- Chance a consignment is opened at the EU border
- Not on the EU's increased-checks list, so only member states' routine, risk-based checks apply (rates not published).
- Rejections against import volume
- On average, 1 border rejection per 9,980 tonnes imported into the EU over the last 3 years; the highest rejection rate of 3 origins with enough import volume on record to rate (EU import quantities 2022–2024, FAOSTAT).
- If it is rejected
- Re-dispatched or destroyed 39%; held, final fate not recorded 30%; destroyed 13%; re-dispatched 13%; not stated 4%. A re-dispatched lot can be sold elsewhere, a treated or sorted one can be released once it complies, and a destroyed one is lost.
- Where rejections happen
- Netherlands (9), Italy (5), Portugal (2), of 23 border rejections in the last 3 years.
- Riskiest months
- September, June, December, by rejections since 2020.
- Test for before shipping
- genetically modified (17).
The EU does not publish how many consignments are shipped, so no page can state a true probability of rejection; these are the figures that are published.
Quarterly rejections, last 12 quarters
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Notifications |
|---|---|
| 2023-Q4 | 0 |
| 2024-Q1 | 2 |
| 2024-Q2 | 1 |
| 2024-Q3 | 4 |
| 2024-Q4 | 2 |
| 2025-Q1 | 0 |
| 2025-Q2 | 3 |
| 2025-Q3 | 3 |
| 2025-Q4 | 1 |
| 2026-Q1 | 1 |
| 2026-Q2 | 0 |
| 2026-Q3 | 6 |
Recent rejections
- 2026.8480 Non-authorized GMO events in rice cakes originating from China Notified by Belgium. Destroyed. Result detected (limit 0 null). genetically modified
- 2026.8461 Unauthorized GMO in spicy puffed rice cakes of Chinese origin // OGM non autorizzato in dischetti di riso soffiato piccante origine Cina Notified by Italy. Result Nel campione è stata riscontrata la presenza del Terminatore NOS (limit PRESENZA / ASSENZ… genetically modified
- 2026.8145 Incomplite documentation for rice consgnment fro China Notified by Slovenia. Destroyed.
- 2026.7912 unauthorized GMO 35 S terminator Nos in rice sticks Notified by Italy. genetically modified
- 2026.6984 presenza OGM (TERMINATORE NOS) non autorizzato in crackers di riso (rice hot crackers) dalla Cina///Presence of unauthorized GMOs (NOS terminator) in rice crackers (rice hot crackers) from China Notified by Italy. Re-dispatched. Result presenza//detected (limit Assenza//not detected null). genetically modified
- 2026.6214 Hydrolysed Rice Flour China GMO Notified by Netherlands. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result P35S and T NOS detected in 2 x 100 mg. genetically modified
- 2026.2061 Rice Noodles China cryIAb/Ac Notified by Netherlands. Destroyed. genetically modified
- 2025.9509 Additivo non autorizzato (Butilidrossitoluene -BHT- E 321) in panini congelati dalla Cina/Unauthorized additive (Butylhydroxytoluene -BHT- E 321) in frozen bread from China Notified by Italy. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2025.7396 Detectado OGM prohibido en pasta de arroz de China//GMO detected in rice cake from China Notified by Spain. Result P 35-S (limit NO DETECTADO null). genetically modified
- 2025.6786 Importazione non autorizzata di biscotti con latte dalla Cina via Hong Kong///Unauthorised import of dairy biscuits from China via Hong Kong Notified by Italy.
- 2025.6431 Absence of original certificate in rice crackers from China Notified by Greece. Re-dispatched or destroyed.
- 2025.4622 Unauthorized novel food ingredients perilla seeds in walnut cookies from China Notified by Latvia. Re-dispatched.
- 2025.4584 Genetically modified organism Cry1Ab/Ac detected in Chinese organic rice noodles Notified by Netherlands. Result Cry1Ab/Ac detected in 2x100mg (limit no presence /0.01g). genetically modified
- 2025.3490 MASSA ARROZ- OGM ARROZ Notified by Portugal. Reached the market, re-dispatched or destroyed. genetically modified
- 2024.9606 Unauthorised genetically modified white rice cakes from China Notified by Portugal. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result CaMV 35S P (Screening transgenic promoter) [cQL] positive; CaMV 35S T (Screening transgen… genetically modified
- 2024.8697 GMO China Rice noodle Notified by Netherlands. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result T-Nos detected (limit No presence mg null). genetically modified
- 2024.6689 non approved GMO in rice noodles Notified by Slovenia. Re-dispatched or destroyed. Result present (limit 0 %). genetically modified
- 2024.6466 Genetically modified organism T-NOS detected in organic Thai rice noodles from China Notified by Netherlands. Result T-NOS detected in 2x100mg (limit no presence /0.01g). genetically modified
- 2024.6379 Genetically modified organism Cry1Ab/Ac in rice noodles from China Notified by Netherlands. Result Cry1Ab/Ac detected in 8x100mg (limit no presence /100g). genetically modified
- 2024.5441 Genetically modified organism T-NOS_SYBR_COSYPS in white rice cake from China Notified by Netherlands. Result T- NOS_SYBR_COSYPS detected in 2 x 100 mg (limit No presence / 100 mg null). genetically modified
Found on the EU market: alerts and information notifications
Besides border rejections, 2 notifications since 2020 concerned rice from China found after entering the EU — 2 information notifications. They are not part of the rejection figures or rates above, which measure border controls.
How they were found: at the EU border 50%, company's own check 50%.
Show the numbers
| Year | Total | Information notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 1 | 1 |
- 2026.6880 info: attentionpresenza OGM non autorizzato in crackers di riso (rice hot crackers) dalla Cina/presence of unauthorized GMOs in rice crackers (rice hot crackers) from China Notified by Italy. At the EU border, reached the market. Result RILEVATA PRESENZA (limit PRESENZA/ASSENZA null). genetically modified
- 2023.3417 info: attentionCadmium in fermented rice powder from China via Germany Notified by Netherlands. Company's own check, reached the market. Result 0.33 (limit 0.15 mg/kg - ppm). cadmium
Data and downloads
Download all 37 entries (CSV) — every notification behind this page, border rejections and those found on the market, with how each was found and what was done.
The file holds entries up to 2026-09-24. To get new ones for China by email, watch China.
China country report since 2020 — all notification types, not just border rejections →