“Wuchang” rice on a supermarket shelf. (Photo: CFP)

By Zhao Ting

All of Shanghai’s Carrefour supermarkets have removed rice products labeled “Wuchang” from their shelves, following reports that a company in Xi’an, Shanxi Province, has been producing a fake version of the high-quality rice by adding flavoring to ordinary rice.

Carrefour said it has not found any fake rice in its shops, but has asked its suppliers to provide details about their factories and products.

Last year, the Ministry of Health issued a special bulletin stating that producers of rice and other food must not use flavoring and other additives to enhance the aroma of the products.

The current checks for rice quality do not include testing for such additives as no criteria has been established to determine the required standards.