Golden rice

Not to be confused with "gold" varieties of African rice, which have golden-coloured seedcoats, not golden endosperm; or with Yellow rice
Golden rice
Golden rice (back) compared to white rice (front), demonstrating the distinctive golden-yellow colour of the variety
SpeciesOryza sativa
CultivarGolden rice
OriginRockefeller Foundation

Golden rice is a variety of rice (Oryza sativa) produced through genetic engineering to biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, in the edible parts of the rice.[1][2] It is intended to produce a fortified food to be grown and consumed in areas with a shortage of dietary vitamin A. Genetically modified golden rice can produce up to 23 times as much beta-carotene as the original golden rice.[3][4][5]

Golden rice is generally considered to be safe: with the FDA, Health Canada, International Rice Research Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supporting its use. It has been met with significant opposition from environmental and anti-globalisation activists who point out its risks regarding biodiversity, unforeseen health effects, and socioeconomic concerns. In 2016, 107 Nobel laureates wrote an open letter to Greenpeace and its supporters, asking them to abandon their campaign against genetically modified crops in general and golden rice in particular.[6] In 2024, the Filipino Court of Appeals issued a cease and desist order for the growth of golden rice in the country, citing a lack of scientific certainty regarding its health and environmental impact.[7]

  1. ^ Kettenburg AJ, Hanspach J, Abson DJ, Fischer J (2018). "From disagreements to dialogue: unpacking the Golden Rice debate". Sustain Sci. 13 (5): 1469–82. doi:10.1007/s11625-018-0577-y. PMC 6132390. PMID 30220919.
  2. ^ Ye X, Al-Babili S, Klöti A, Zhang J, Lucca P, Beyer P, Potrykus I (January 2000). "Engineering the provitamin A (beta-carotene) biosynthetic pathway into (carotenoid-free) rice endosperm". Science. 287 (5451): 303–5. Bibcode:2000Sci...287..303Y. doi:10.1126/science.287.5451.303. PMID 10634784. S2CID 40258379.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Paine 482–487 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tang2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Datta SK, Datta K, Parkhi V, Rai M, Baisakh N, et al. (2007). "Golden rice: introgression, breeding, and field evaluation". Euphytica. 154 (3): 271–78. doi:10.1007/s10681-006-9311-4. S2CID 39594178.
  6. ^ Achenbach, Joel (30 June 2016). "107 Nobel laureates sign letter blasting Greenpeace over GMOs". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ Bautista, Jane (24 April 2024). "CA stops commercial growing of GMO crops". Inquirer.net.