China's Ministry of Agriculture said Friday that latest tests show the baby cereal products manufactured by Heinz contain no genetically-modified rice element.

Fang Xiangdong, an official in charge of the biological safety office under the ministry, said the ministry arranged tests of 43 varieties of those products and their raw materials, and the results of the tests show no sign of genetically-engineered ingredients.

Greenpeace, an international environmental protection organization, claimed earlier this month that those products contain genetically-engineered ingredients.

Greenpeace notified Heinz China of its finding on March 1 and asked for an immediate recall of the products.

In an response to the claim, Heinz China stated later in an announcement that no genetically-engineered ingredients have ever been detected in any of its baby cereal products, in all tests of its products by authoritative international and independent testing organizations.

Donald Gadsden, CEO of Heinz China, said these include the batch with a best before date of March 12, 2007, adding "there remain no quality problems in Heinz products and we will not recall any of our products."

China has introduced a safety evaluation system for all GE agricultural products, and so far the government has not issued any food safety permit for GE rice.

(Xinhua News Agency March 31, 2006)