China probes claims children fed modified rice

SHANGHAI (AFP) - China is investigating whether more than 20 children were fed genetically modified rice in a project that involved Chinese and United States (US) researchers, state media said on Tuesday.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention had also suspended a researcher, Mr Yin Shi'an, for his involvement in the project after claims that "Golden Rice" was given to children, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Environmental group Greenpeace International last month said that the modified rice, which aims to address Vitamin A deficiency, was fed to 24 children aged between six and eight in 2008.

Greenpeace said the US researchers involved in the project were affiliated with the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, which is based at Tufts University in Boston.