Golden rice

Golden rice is a genetically modified organism (GMO) specially bred to have a higher level of beta-carotene. This special form of rice, named after its bright yellow color that is caused by beta-carotene, was created because it was believed it would help with food deficiencies that affect people in disadvantaged areas of the world. The development of golden rice began in 1999, but controversy over its genetically modified origin and the impact that could have on people of the world delayed it from being sold or distributed.

Background

Golden rice was developed by scientists who bred rice specifically to be yellow. This was desirable because yellow fruits and vegetables are generally high in beta-carotene. This nutrient helps the human body make vitamin A.

Many people in poor parts of the world have a vitamin A deficiency. Beta-carotene is necessary to make vitamin A, and the nutrient is found in carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, cantaloupe, and many other foods. These are relatively common in the diets of those in the developed world. However, in poorer areas of the world, these vegetables and fruits are not common. In these areas, many people suffer from vitamin A deficiencies.

Children who do not get enough vitamin A can suffer from exophthalmia, a preventable form of blindness. Vitamin A deficiencies also suppress the immune system, making people more prone to infections and impairing their ability to recover from illness. As a result, researchers have estimated that as many as 2.5 million children die each year from causes related to vitamin A deficiencies.

Researchers targeted rice for this genetic modification because it is often grown in areas where the population is at the greatest risk of vitamin A deficiency. Rice is also a significant part of the diet in these areas; more than half of the world eats rice on a regular basis and in some areas, it represents about two-thirds of the nutrition consumed on a daily basis. As a result, a rice-based "cure" for the deficiency would be more likely to be accepted. Many children in these areas are weaned from their mother's milk to a thin soup-like gruel made with rice, so it was believed it would be easy to get those who needed it most to eat golden rice.

Overview

The idea for golden rice was first raised in 1984 at an informal discussion of a group of scientists and plant breeders brought together by the Rockefeller Foundation. The biotechnology used to genetically modify crops was new at the time, and the group members discussed what they would add to rice if they could genetically change it. Rice is a principal crop in the Philippines, where the meeting was held. Peter Jennings, the originator of IR8, a semi-dwarf variety of rice that allows farmers to produce a much higher yield in less space, suggested breeding rice that was yellow.

Jennings's intent was to produce rice that would contain significant levels of beta-carotene to ease vitamin A deficiencies. Others agreed, and the Rockefeller Foundation funded a program to begin research into modifying rice to contain the nutrient. Scientists around the world began working on the challenge.

In 1999, German scientists Ingo Potrykus and Peter Beyer added daffodil and bacteria genetic material to rice to develop the first golden rice. Within a few years, additional experiments by other scientists replaced the daffodil genes with corn genes. This resulted in rice with an even deeper golden color and a greater quantity of beta-carotene. Organisms that are created by mixing genetic material are known as genetically modified (GM) or genetically engineered (GE).

These successes drew additional interest and funding. Researchers continued to work on developing new versions of golden rice that were interbred with the rice already grown in areas that could benefit from diets enriched with beta-carotene. While this research was occurring, other scientists tested the resulting crops. By 2009, these studies had determined that golden rice contained beta-carotene that was effective in providing vitamin A to children. It was estimated that a single bowl of golden rice each day could provide between 30 and 60 percent of the vitamin A needed by a child. Other studies claimed that testers said golden rice tasted the same as other rice varieties. Field tests that were also occurring showed that the crop could be grown in the areas where need was greatest and that it did not produce any unusual problems for growers.

Organizations that opposed the cultivation and commericalization of golden rice objected to its genetically modified status. The activist group Greenpeace, for instance, argued that food supplements that are already available could also address vitamin A deficiency. Greenpeace and other opponents of golden rice said that the crop could contaminate other rice crops by crossbreeding and result in a wholesale change in the food crops of the world. Some opponents also raised concerns that supporters of golden rice were using the emotional appeal of a product that could save so many children and mothers from hardship, or even death, to break down opposition to GM crops. They claim that it is the money that can be made from other GM crops that is driving the push for the acceptance of golden rice, not genuine concern for children. In response to Greenpeace's anti–golden rice campaign, in 2016 over 150 Nobel Laureates wrote an open letter that critiqued the organization for allegedly misrepresenting the risks and benefits of golden rice.

In 2018 and 2019, government agencies in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Philippines, and the United States all deemed golden rice as safe as ordinary white rice. In 2021, the Philippines became the first nation to approve the commercial cultivation of golden rice. Other countries such as Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Vietnam worked with the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board to set up golden rice research institutions in the 2020s. Greenpeace and local farmers successfully overturned the Philippines' approval of commercial golden rice cultivation in 2024.

Bibliography

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