CHINA has turned away 30 tonnes of frozen seafood from Australia that was tainted with heavy metals, state television reported today, as the quality and safety of China's own products have come under scrutiny around the world.

The prawns and squid arrived in Zhanjiang port, southern Guangdong province, where customs officials found lead and cadmium exceeded safety levels, the report said.

No further details were immediately available and the Australian embassy in Beijing had no immediate comment.

China's quality standards came under the spotlight after tainted pet food caused deaths of cats and dogs in the US and toxins in toothpaste exported from China led to recalls around the world.

Meanwhile, French food giant Danone said today that five container loads of Evian mineral water had failed inspection by Chinese authorities because of an excessive amount of micro-organisms and would be shipped back to France.

Danone said that the five containers of bottled water arrived in China in February and that the quality complied with World Health Organisation standards.