The rice was shipped to Shaanxi, Henan, Shanxi, Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces. Even in Wuchang, where the authentic rice is grown, peasants reportedly add ordinary rice to the pure scented variety before selling it on at a profit.

"A total of 10 million tons of Wuchang scented rice is sold to other parts of the country each year, which greatly exceeds the rice's 800,000 tons in annual output," a dealer told CCTV.

In response, 50 officials from food safety watchdogs in Xi'an swooped on 21 rice workshops on Monday night. The Ministry of Health is now working on drawing up current safety and quality standards for food items, including rice, which it plans to publicize, ministry spokesman Deng Haihua said on Tuesday.

Rice and other grain manufacturers are prohibited from adding artificial essence and spices during the production process, according to the country's Food Safety Law.