Environmental organisation Greenpeace recently denounced the corn gluten shipment, which arrived at the Rotterdam port on April 10. The genetically modified corn was not authorised by the European Union, the Dutch authority said in a statement.

The name of the product in the shipment was Herculex RW from US company Pioneer, the authority said. It is used in the production of animal feed.

The portion of the shipment not yet used will be recalled and either returned to the United States or burnt in the Netherlands, according to the authority.

The product is currently being tested by the European food safety agency, with EU experts set to decide on June 8 whether it will be authorised. For that reason, Dutch authorities did not order the destruction of products that have already incorporated it.

Food safety authorities in the Netherlands have also decided to increase testing for genetically modified foods. From now on, 25 percent of corn imports from the United States will be tested, compared to the previous 10 percent.