Environmental watchdog Greenpeace said Monday that it has uncovered illegal sales of genetically modified rice in China's southern Guangzhou city.

It isn't known as yet if genetically engineered rice is safe for either human consumption or the environment. As a result, no varieties of GMO rice have been approved in China.

Greenpeace's discovery, if true, may spark concerns that GMO rice has entered the Chinese food chain, and deepen worries of countries such as Japan and South Korea over possible contamination of Chinese rice exports. In a statement, Greenpeace said their researchers had collected samples from rice wholesalers in Guangzhou in Guangdong province, and that an independent laboratory in Germany had identified two samples as GMO rice.

The environmental watchdog also said it has found conclusive evidence pointing to the source of the contamination in central Hubei province. Two months ago, Greenpeace raised its concerns to the Chinese government over illegal GMO rice production and sales in Hubei.

Greenpeace estimated that up to 29 MT of GMO rice seeds have been sold in Hubei so far this year, and if no recall action is taken, the seeds could produce up to 14,500 MT of GMO rice when harvested.

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