A senior government official has said that the government will tighten its control on the entry and promotion of genetically modified (GM) foods in the market.

Han Jun, deputy director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, said on Thursday that research technologies, varietal certification as well as the production and distribution of GM food will receive extra scrutiny from government bodies. 

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"We must keep it under strict supervision in three fields: research and development tests, variety certification, and production and distribution. We must prevent those unapproved genetically modified seeds from entering the market illegally," Han said in a press conference. 

Only commercial cultivation of genetically modified cotton and papaya are allowed in the country, while genetically modified corn, cotton, soybean, and sugar beet are allowed to be imported for processing. 

Many farmers are, however, illegally growing genetically modified rice and selling it in the market. Han said that the cases call for stronger efforts to prevent such illegal activities. 

An investigation by Greenpeace East Asia in Liaoning Province published earlier this month claimed that 93 percent of the samples they took from May to December 2015 showed illegal genetically engineered (GE) contamination. The random samples were reportedly taken from corn fields in five counties in the province. 

The corns were not labelled as well. The government mandates vendors and farmers to label genetically modified foods for the consumers' right to know and right to choose. 

A policy document signed by the Communist Party of China Central Committee said that the country will intensify the research of agricultural GM technologies and will only promote them after ensuring their safety. 

Han voiced assurance that GM food products approved for commercial cultivation have been tested and found to be as safe as traditional food. 

"As a big country with a population of 1.3 billion, China should not lag behind in the field of agricultural biotechnology. Therefore, we put forward in the first policy document of this year that we should do more research on agricultural GMO technology," Han added.  

Tagsgenetically modified foods, GM in China, first policy document 2016, Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, illegal cultivation of GM food