Golden rice

File:Carotenoidsynthesis.svg biosynthesis pathway in golden rice. The enzymes expressed in the endosperm of golden rice, shown in red, catalyse the biosyntheis of beta-carotene from geranylgeranyl diphosphate. Beta-carotene is assumed to be converted to retinal and subsequently retinol (vitamin A) in the animal gut.]]

Research for development of golden rice began as a Rockefeller Foundation initiative in 1982.{{cite web |url=http://www.goldenrice.org/Content3-Why/why3_FAQ.php#Inventors |title=FAQ: Who invented Golden Rice and how did the project start? |work=Goldenrice.org }}

In the 1990s, Peter Bramley discovered that a single phytoene desaturase gene (bacterial CrtI) can be used to produce lycopene from phytoene in GM tomato, rather than having to introduce multiple carotene desaturases that are normally used by higher plants.{{cite journal|last=Romer|first=S. |author2=Fraser, P.D. |author3=Kiano, J.W. |author4=Shipton, C.A. |author5=Misawa, N |author6=Schuch, W. |author7=Bramley, P.M.|title=Elevation of provitamin A content of transgenic tomato plants.|journal=Nature Biotechnology|year=2000|volume=18|pages=666–69 |doi=10.1038/76523 |pmid=10835607 |issue=6|s2cid=11801214 }} Lycopene is then cyclized to beta-carotene by the endogenous cyclase in golden rice.{{cite web|title=The Science of Golden Rice|url=http://www.goldenrice.org/Content2-How/how1_sci.php|access-date=11 July 2013}} The scientific details of the rice were first published in 2000, the product of an eight-year project by Ingo Potrykus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and Peter Beyer of the University of Freiburg.

The first field trials of golden rice cultivars were conducted by Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in 2004.{{cite web|author=LSU AgCenter Communications|date=2004|title='Golden Rice' Could Help Reduce Malnutrition|url=http://www.lsuagcenter.com/news_archive/2004/October/Headline+News/Golden+Rice+Could+Help+Malnutrition.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928171832/http://www.lsuagcenter.com/news_archive/2004/October/Headline%2BNews/Golden%2BRice%2BCould%2BHelp%2BMalnutrition.htm|archive-date=September 28, 2007}} Additional trials were conducted in the Philippines, Taiwan, and in Bangladesh (2015).{{cite news|last1=Ahmad|first1=Reaz|title=Bangladeshi scientists ready for trial of world's first 'Golden Rice'|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/worlds-first-golden-rice-ready-trial-153676|access-date=15 December 2015|publisher=The Daily Star|date=8 October 2015}} Field testing provided an accurate measurement of nutritional value and enabled feeding tests to be performed. Preliminary results from field tests showed field-grown golden rice produces 4 to 5 times more beta-carotene than golden rice grown under greenhouse conditions.{{cite web|url=http://www.goldenrice.org/Content2-How/how8_tests.php |title=Testing the performance of Golden Rice |publisher=Goldenrice.org |date=2012-08-29 |access-date=2013-08-26}}

In 2018, Canada and the United States approved golden rice, with Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declaring it safe for consumption.{{Cite web |last=Coghlan |first=Andy |title=GM golden rice gets approval from food regulators in the US |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23831802-500-gm-golden-rice-gets-approval-from-food-regulators-in-the-us/|access-date=2021-08-21 |date=30 May 2018 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}} This followed a 2016 decision where the FDA had ruled that the beta-carotene content in golden rice did not provide sufficient amounts of vitamin A for US markets.{{Cite web |publisher=Center for Food Safety and Applied, US Food and Drug Administration |date=2021-02-01 |title=Consultation Programs on Food from New Plant Varieties |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/consultation-programs-food-new-plant-varieties |access-date=2021-08-21 |language=en}} Health Canada declared that golden rice would not affect allergies, and that the nutrient contents were the same as in common rice varieties, except for the intended high levels of provitamin A.{{Cite web |date=2018-03-16|title=Provitamin A Biofortified Rice Event GR2E (Golden Rice) |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/genetically-modified-foods-other-novel-foods/approved-products/golden-rice-gr2e.html |access-date=2021-08-21 |website=Health Canada }}

In 2019, golden rice was approved for use as human food and animal feed or for processing in the Philippines.{{Cite web|date=2019-12-18|title=Philippines approves Golden Rice for direct use as food and feed, or for processing|url=https://www.irri.org/news-and-events/news/philippines-approves-golden-rice-direct-use-food-and-feed-or-processing|access-date=2021-08-21|website=International Rice Research Institute|language=en}} On 21 July 2021, the Philippines became the first country to officially issue the biosafety permit for commercially propagating vitamin A-infused golden rice.{{Cite web|last=Talavera|first=Catherine|title=Philippines OKs GMO 'golden rice'|url=https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2021/07/24/2114742/philippines-oks-gmo-golden-rice|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Philstar.com}} The approval came as the first commercial propagation authorisation of genetically engineered rice in South and Southeast Asia. As a result of the permission, golden rice can be grown on a commercial scale in accordance with the terms and conditions specified by the Philippines government.{{Cite web|date=2021-07-23|title=Filipinos soon to plant and eat Golden Rice|url=https://www.philrice.gov.ph/filipinos-soon-to-plant-and-eat-golden-rice/|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Philippine Rice Research Institute|language=en-US}} In April 2023, however, the country's Supreme Court ordered the agriculture department to stop commercial propagation of golden rice in relation to a petition filed by MASIPAG (a group of farmers and scientists), who claimed that golden rice poses risk to the health of consumers and to the environment.{{cite news |last1=Ordoñez |first1=John Victor D. |title=SC issues Writ of Kalikasan vs Golden Rice, Bt eggplant |url=https://www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/2023/04/20/517938/sc-issues-writ-of-kalikasan-vs-golden-rice-bt-eggplant/ |access-date=20 April 2023 |work=BusinessWorld |date=19 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420164928/https://www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/2023/04/20/517938/sc-issues-writ-of-kalikasan-vs-golden-rice-bt-eggplant/ |archive-date=20 April 2023}} This Writ of Kalikasan was upheld by the Court of Appeals in April 2024.{{cite news |url=https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/04/25/business/top-business/philrice-studying-court-decision-on-gm-crops/1943213 |title=PhilRice studying court decision on GM crops |author=Janine Alexis Miguel |work=The Manila Times |date=25 April 2024 |access-date=25 April 2024}}

On 17 April 2024, the Court of Appeals in the Philippines issued a cease-and-desist order on the commercial propagation of two genetically modified crops, golden rice and Bt eggplant, citing a lack of "full scientific certainty" regarding their health and environmental impact. The decision was in response to a petition filed by groups including Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad Agrikultura (Masipag) and Greenpeace Southeast Asia. The court revoked the biosafety permits previously granted by the government to the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice). This decision was criticized for putting the lives of thousands of children at risk.{{cite web |last1=McKie |first1=Robbie |title='A catastrophe': Greenpeace blocks planting of 'lifesaving' Golden Rice |url=https://theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/25/greenpeace-blocks-planting-of-lifesaving-golden-rice-philippines |website=The Guardian |date=25 May 2024 |access-date=26 May 2024}}

Golden rice was created by transforming rice with two beta-carotene biosynthesis genes:

1. psy (phytoene synthase) from daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus)
2. crtI (phytoene desaturase) from the soil bacterium Erwinia uredovora

(The insertion of a lcy (lycopene cyclase) gene was thought to be needed, but further research showed it is already produced in wild-type rice endosperm.)

The psy and crtI genes were transferred into the rice nuclear genome and placed under the control of an endosperm-specific promoter, so that they are only expressed in the endosperm. The exogenous lcy gene has a transit peptide sequence attached, so it is targeted to the plastid, where geranylgeranyl diphosphate is formed. The bacterial crtI gene was an important inclusion to complete the pathway, since it can catalyse multiple steps in the synthesis of carotenoids up to lycopene, while these steps require more than one enzyme in plants.{{cite journal|last1=Hirschberg|first1=J.|year=2001|title=Carotenoid biosynthesis in flowering plants|journal=Current Opinion in Plant Biology|volume=4|issue=3|pages=210–18|doi=10.1016/S1369-5266(00)00163-1|pmid=11312131|bibcode=2001COPB....4..210H }} The end product of the engineered pathway is lycopene, but if the plant accumulated lycopene, the rice would be red. Recent analysis has shown the plant's endogenous enzymes process the lycopene to beta-carotene in the endosperm, giving the rice the distinctive yellow colour for which it is named.{{cite journal | doi = 10.1104/pp.104.057927 | last1 = Schaub | first1 = P. | last2 = Al-Babili | year = 2005 | first2 = S | last3 = Drake | first3 = R | last4 = Beyer | first4 = P | title = Why Is Golden Rice Golden (Yellow) Instead of Red? | journal = Plant Physiology | volume = 138 | issue = 1| pages = 441–50 | pmid = 15821145 | pmc = 1104197 }} The original golden rice was called SGR1, and under greenhouse conditions it produced 1.6 μg/g of carotenoids.

In 2005, a team of researchers at Syngenta produced Golden Rice 2. They combined the phytoene synthase (psy) gene from maize with crtl gene from the original golden rice. Golden Rice 2 produces 23 times more carotenoids than golden rice (up to 37 μg/g) because psy gene of maize is the most effective gene for carotenoid synthesis, and preferentially accumulates beta-carotene (up to 31 μg/g of the 37 μg/g of carotenoids).

{{main|Vitamin A deficiency}}

File:Vitamin A deficiency.PNG

The research that led to golden rice was conducted with the goal of helping children who suffer from vitamin A deficiency (VAD). Estimates show that around 1.02 billion people are severely affected by micronutrient deficiencies globally, with vitamin A to be the most deficient nutrient in the body.{{cite journal |vauthors=Wirth JP, Petry N, Tanumihardjo SA, Rogers LM, McLean E, Greig A, Garrett GS, Klemm RD, Rohner F |title=Vitamin A Supplementation Programs and Country-Level Evidence of Vitamin A Deficiency |journal=Nutrients |volume=9 |issue=3 |date=February 2017 |page=190 |pmid=28245571 |pmc=5372853 |doi=10.3390/nu9030190 |url=|doi-access=free }}{{Creative Commons text attribution notice|cc=by4|from this source=yes}}

Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) programs began in the 1990s in response to evidence demonstrating the association between VAD and increased childhood mortality. Between 1990 and 2013, more than 40 efficacy studies of VAS in children 6–59 months of age were conducted, and two systematic reviews and meta-analyses have concluded that VA supplements can considerably reduce mortality and morbidity during childhood. As of 2017, more than 80 countries worldwide are implementing universal VAS programs targeted to children 6–59 months of age through semi-annual national campaigns. However, UNICEF and a number of NGOs involved in supplementation note more frequent low-dose supplementation is preferable.

As many children in VAD-affected countries rely on rice as a staple food, genetic modification to make rice produce the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene was seen as a simple and less expensive alternative to ongoing vitamin supplements or an increase in the consumption of green vegetables or animal products. Initial analyses of the potential nutritional benefits of golden rice suggested consumption of golden rice would not eliminate the problems of vitamin A deficiency, but could complement other supplementation.{{cite journal | doi = 10.1016/S0306-9192(02)00065-9 | last1 = Dawe | first1 = D. | last2 = Robertson | first2 = R. | last3 = Unnevehr | first3 = L. | year = 2002 | title = Golden rice: what role could it play in alleviation of vitamin A deficiency? | journal = Food Policy | volume = 27 | issue = 5–6| pages = 541–60 }}{{cite journal | doi = 10.1016/j.foodpol.2004.03.001 | last1 = Zimmerman | first1 = R. | last2 = Qaim | first2 = M. | year = 2004 | title = Potential health benefits of Golden Rice: a Philippine case study | url = http://croplife.intraspin.com/Biotech/potential-health-benefits-of-golden-rice-a-philippine-case-study/ | journal = Food Policy | volume = 29 | issue = 2 | pages = 147–68 | access-date = 2009-05-13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090106071142/http://croplife.intraspin.com/Biotech/potential-health-benefits-of-golden-rice-a-philippine-case-study/ | archive-date = 2009-01-06 | url-status = dead }} Golden Rice 2 contains sufficient provitamin A to provide the entire dietary requirement via daily consumption of some {{Convert|75|g|oz|0}} per day.

Vitamin A deficiency is usually coupled to an unbalanced diet. Since carotenes are hydrophobic, sufficient fat must be present in the diet for golden rice (or most other vitamin A supplements) to alleviate vitamin A deficiency. Moreover, this claim referred to an early cultivar of golden rice; one bowl of the latest version provides 60% of Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for healthy children.{{Cite news |last=Harmon |first=Amy |date=2013-08-24 |title=Golden Rice: Lifesaver? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/25/sunday-review/golden-rice-lifesaver.html |access-date=2021-08-21|issn=0362-4331}} The RDA levels advocated in developed countries are far in excess of the amounts needed to prevent blindness.{{Cite journal |last1=Paine |first1=Jacqueline A. |last2=Shipton |first2=Catherine A. |last3=Chaggar |first3=Sunandha |last4=Howells |first4=Rhian M. |last5=Kennedy |first5=Mike J. |last6=Vernon |first6=Gareth |last7=Wright |first7=Susan Y. |last8=Hinchliffe |first8=Edward |last9=Adams |first9=Jessica L. |last10=Silverstone |first10=Aron L. |last11=Drake |first11=Rachel |date=April 2005 |title=Improving the nutritional value of Golden Rice through increased pro-vitamin A content |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt1082 |journal=Nature Biotechnology |language=en |volume=23 |issue=4 |pages=482–487 |doi=10.1038/nbt1082 |pmid=15793573 |s2cid=632005 |issn=1546-1696}}

In 2009, results of a clinical trial of golden rice with adult volunteers concluded that "beta-carotene derived from golden rice is effectively converted to vitamin A in humans".{{Cite journal |url=http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/89/6/1776.full.pdf |last1=Tang |first1=Guangwen |last2=Qin |first2=Jian |last3=Dolnikowski |first3=Gregory G |last4=Russell |first4=Robert M |last5=Grusak |first5=Michael A |date=2009-06-01 |title=Golden Rice is an effective source of vitamin A |journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |language=en |volume=89 |issue=6 |pages=1776–1783 |doi=10.3945/ajcn.2008.27119 |issn=0002-9165 |pmc=2682994 |pmid=19369372 }} A summary for the American Society for Nutrition suggested that "Golden Rice could probably supply 50% of the RDA of vitamin A from a very modest amount{{snd}}perhaps a cup{{snd}}of rice, if consumed daily. This amount is well within the consumption habits of most young children and their mothers."{{cite web |work=American Society of Nutrition |url=http://asn-cdn-remembers.s3.amazonaws.com/1247eb83af3c2c77fb8cf75d5e158f1f.pdf |title=Researchers Determine That Golden Rice Is an Effective Source of Vitamin A }} Beta-carotene is found and consumed in many nutritious foods eaten around the world, including fruits and vegetables. Beta-carotene in food is a safe source of vitamin A.{{cite journal |pmid=20980645 |year=2010 |last1=Grune |first1=T. |last2=Lietz |first2=G. |last3=Palou |first3=A. |last4=Ross |first4=A. C. |last5=Stahl |first5=W. |last6=Tang |first6=G. |last7=Thurnham |first7=D. |last8=Yin |first8=S. A. |last9=Biesalski |first9=H. K. |title=Beta-carotene is an important vitamin a source for humans |journal=The Journal of Nutrition |volume=140 |issue=12 |pages=2268S–2285S |doi=10.3945/jn.109.119024 |pmc=3139236 }}

A 2012 study showed that the beta-carotene produced by golden rice is as effective as beta-carotene in oil at providing vitamin A to children.{{cite journal|title=β-Carotene in Golden Rice is as good as β-carotene in oil at providing vitamin A to children|url=http://www.goldenrice.org/PDFs/GR_bioavailability_AJCN2012.pdf|last1=Tang|first1=Guangwen|last2=Hu|first2=Yuming|last3=Yin|first3=Shi-an|last4=Wang|first4=Yin|last5=Dallal|first5=Gerard E|last6=Grusak|first6=Michael A|last7=Russell|first7=Robert M|journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=96|issue=3|date=1 September 2012|pages=658–664|doi=10.3945/ajcn.111.030775|pmc=3417220|pmid=22854406}}{{Retracted|doi=10.3945/ajcn.114.093229|pmid=26224301|http://retractionwatch.com/2015/07/30/golden-rice-paper-pulled-after-judge-rules-for-journal/ Retraction Watch|http://retractionwatch.com/2014/07/17/rice-researcher-in-ethics-scrape-threatens-journal-with-lawsuit-over-coming-retraction/ Retraction Watch|intentional=yes}} The study stated that "recruitment processes and protocol were approved". However, in 2015, the journal retracted the study, claiming that the researchers had acted unethically when providing Chinese children golden rice without their parents' consent.{{cite journal |doi=10.3945/ajcn.114.093229 |doi-access=free |title=Retraction of Tang G, Hu y, Yin S-a, Wang y, Dallal GE, Grusak MA, and Russell RM. β-Carotene in Golden Rice is as good as β-carotene in oil at providing vitamin a to children. Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96:658–64 |journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |year=2015 |volume=102 |issue=3 |page=715 |pmid=26224301 |pmc=4548169 }}{{cite news |first=Karen |last=Weintraub |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/08/17/medical-journal-retracts-paper-tufts-researcher-over-questions-ethical-breach/K7UQwnJITLE6sfo6C9TQ8I/story.html|title=Ethics in question, Tufts researcher's paper retracted |date=August 17, 2015 |access-date=30 January 2023 |website=The Boston Globe }}

Golden rice improves vitamin A intake and may reduce vitamin A deficiency among women and children.{{Cite journal|last1=De Moura |first1=Fabiana F |last2=Moursi |first2=Mourad |last3=Donahue Angel |first3=Moira |last4=Angeles-Agdeppa |first4=Imelda |last5=Atmarita |first5=Atmarita |last6=Gironella |first6=Glen M |last7=Muslimatun |first7=Siti |last8=Carriquiry |first8=Alicia |date=September 2016 |title=Biofortified β-carotene rice improves vitamin A intake and reduces the prevalence of inadequacy among women and young children in a simulated analysis in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines |journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |volume=104 |issue=3 |pages=769–775 |doi=10.3945/ajcn.115.129270 |issn=0002-9165 |pmc=4997296 |pmid=27510534 }} Food derived from golden rice varieties is as safe as food derived from conventional rice varieties.{{Cite journal |display-authors=3 |last1=Oliva |first1=Norman |last2=Florida Cueto-Reaño |first2=Maria |last3=Trijatmiko |first3=Kurniawan R. |last4=Samia |first4=Mercy |last5=Welsch |first5=Ralf |last6=Schaub |first6=Patrick |last7=Beyer |first7=Peter |last8=Mackenzie |first8=Donald |last9=Boncodin |first9=Raul |last10=Reinke |first10=Russell |last11=Slamet-Loedin |first11=Inez |date=2020-01-28 |title=Molecular characterization and safety assessment of biofortified provitamin A rice |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=1376 |doi=10.1038/s41598-020-57669-5 |pmid=31992721 |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=6987151 |bibcode=2020NatSR..10.1376O}}

{{see also|Genetically modified food controversies}}

Critics of genetically engineered crops have raised various concerns. An early issue was that golden rice originally did not have sufficient beta-carotene content. This problem was solved by the advancing of GR2E event. The speed at which beta-carotene degrades once the rice is harvested, and how much remains after cooking are contested.{{cite web |s2cid=113405617 |last=Then |first=Christoph |year=2009 |title=The campaign for genetically modified rice is at the crossroads: A critical look at Golden Rice after nearly 10 years of development |work=Foodwatch in Germany |url=https://www.gmwatch.org/files/golden-rice-10yrs-on.pdf }} However, a 2009 study concluded that beta-carotene from golden rice is effectively converted into vitamin A in humans.

Greenpeace opposes the use of any patented genetically modified organisms in agriculture and opposes the cultivation of golden rice, claiming it will open the door to more widespread use of GMOs.{{cite web|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/agriculture/problem/genetic-engineering/|title=Genetic Engineering |publisher=Greenpeace}}
{{cite web|date=March 16, 2005|publisher=Greenpeace|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/failures-of-golden-rice/|title=Golden Rice: All glitter, no gold}}{{cite web |work=Greenpeace |year=2005 |url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2005/5/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold.pdf |title=All that Glitters is not Gold: The False Hope of Golden Rice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801122538/http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/planet-2/report/2005/5/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold.pdf |archive-date=2013-08-01 }} The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has emphasised the non-commercial nature of their project, stating that "None of the companies listed ... are involved in carrying out the research and development activities of IRRI or its partners in Golden Rice, and none of them will receive any royalty or payment from the marketing or selling of golden rice varieties developed by IRRI."{{cite web |work=IRRI |year=2014 |url=http://irri.org/golden-rice/faqs/are-private-companies-involved-in-the-golden-rice-project |title=FAQ: Are private companies involved in the Golden Rice project? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160727032505/http://irri.org/golden-rice/faqs/are-private-companies-involved-in-the-golden-rice-project |archive-date=2016-07-27 }}

Vandana Shiva, an Indian anti-GMO activist, argued the problem was not the plant per se, but potential issues with loss of biodiversity. Shiva argued that golden rice proponents were obscuring the limited availability of diverse and nutritionally adequate food.{{cite web |first=Vandana |last=Shiva |url=https://repstein.faculty.drbu.edu/GEessays/goldenricehoax.html |title=The "Golden Rice" Hoax – When Public Relations replaces Science |publisher=Online.sfsu.edu |date=2000-06-29 |access-date=2013-08-26}} Other groups argued that a varied diet containing foods rich in beta-carotene such as sweet potato, leaf vegetables and fruit would provide children with sufficient vitamin A.{{cite web |work=Friends of the Earth |url=http://www.foe.org/safefood/rice.html |title=Golden Rice and Vitamin A Deficiency |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602181323/http://www.foe.org/safefood/rice.html |archive-date=2016-06-02 }} However, Keith West of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has said that foodstuffs containing vitamin A are often unavailable, only available in certain seasons, or are too expensive for poor families to obtain.{{cite news |last=Norton |first=Amy |date=15 August 2012 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-genetically-modified-rice-idUSBRE87E0RO20120815 |title=Genetically modified rice a good vitamin A source |work=Reuters |access-date=20 August 2012 }}

In 2008, WHO malnutrition expert Francesco Branca cited the lack of real-world studies and uncertainty about how many people will use golden rice, concluding "giving out supplements, fortifying existing foods with vitamin A, and teaching people to grow carrots or certain leafy vegetables are, for now, more promising ways to fight the problem".{{cite journal | last1 = Enserink | first1 = M. | year = 2008 | title = Tough Lessons From Golden Rice | journal = Science | volume = 320 | issue =5875 | pages = 468–71 | doi=10.1126/science.320.5875.468 | pmid = 18436769 | s2cid = 206580074 }} Author Michael Pollan, who had criticized the product in 2001, being unimpressed by the benefits, expressed support for the continuation of the research in 2013.{{cite news|url=http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/27/from-mark-lynas-to-michael-pollan-agreement-that-golden-rice-trials-should-proceed/ |first=Andrew|last=Revkin|author-link=Andrew Revkin|date=2013-09-01 |title=From Lynas to Pollan, Agreement that Golden Rice Trials Should Proceed|work=The New York Times}}

In 2012, controversy surrounded a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study, involving feeding GM rice to children from 6 to 8 years old in China, was later found to have violated human research rules of both Tufts University and the federal government. Subsequent reviews found no evidence of safety problems with the study, but found issues with insufficient consent forms, unapproved changes to study protocol, and lack of approval from a China-based ethics review board. Additionally, the GM rice used was brought into China illegally.{{cite news |last1=Enserink |first1=Martin |title=Golden Rice Not So Golden for Tufts |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/golden-rice-not-so-golden-tufts |access-date=1 April 2020 |publisher=Science Magazine |date=18 September 2013}}{{cite news |last1=Qiu |first1=Jane |author-link=Jane Qiu|title=China sacks officials over Golden Rice controversy |url=https://www.nature.com/news/china-sacks-officials-over-golden-rice-controversy-1.11998 |access-date=1 April 2020 |publisher=Nature |date=10 December 2012}}

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports the use of genetically modified organisms in agricultural development and supports the International Rice Research Institute in developing golden rice.{{cite web |url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Agricultural-Development/Golden-Rice |title=Agricultural Development Golden Rice |access-date=3 Feb 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203145910/http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Agricultural-Development/Golden-Rice |archive-date=2016-02-03 }} In June 2016, 107 Nobel laureates wrote an open letter to Greenpeace and its supporters, asking it "to abandon their campaign against 'GMOs' in general and Golden Rice in particular".{{cite web |url=http://supportprecisionagriculture.org/nobel-laureate-gmo-letter_rjr.html |title=Laureates Letter Supporting Precision Agriculture (GMOs) |access-date=5 Jul 2016}}{{Cite web |date=2016-06-30 |title=More than 100 Nobel laureates take on Greenpeace over 'anti-science' opposition to GMO food |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1983536/more-100-nobel-laureates-take-greenpeace-over-anti-science-opposition-gmo |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}

In May 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of golden rice for human consumption, stating: "Based on the information IRRI has presented to FDA, we have no further questions concerning human or animal food derived from GR2E rice at this time."{{Cite web|title=US FDA approves GMO Golden Rice as safe to eat {{!}} Genetic Literacy Project|url=https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018/05/29/us-fda-approves-gmo-golden-rice-as-safe-to-eat/|access-date=2018-05-30|website=geneticliteracyproject.org|date=29 May 2018|language=en-US}} This marks the fourth national health organisation to approve the use of golden rice in 2018, joining Australia, Canada and New Zealand who issued their assessments earlier in the year.{{Cite news|url=http://irri.org/news/media-releases/golden-rice-meets-food-safety-standards-in-three-global-leading-regulatory-agencies|title= Golden Rice meets food safety standards in three global leading regulatory agencies|work=International Rice Research Institute – IRRI|access-date=2018-05-30|language=en-gb}}

In December 2021, an opinion piece in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America called on regulators to "allow Golden Rice to save lives", which the authors say has been delayed due to "fear and false accusations", leading to estimated 266,000 lives lost per year due to vitamin A deficiency.{{Cite journal|title=Opinion: Allow Golden Rice to save lives |year=2021 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2120901118 |pmid=34911769 |last1=Wu |first1=F. |last2=Wesseler |first2=J. |last3=Zilberman |first3=D. |last4=Russell |first4=R. M. |last5=Chen |first5=C. |last6=Dubock |first6=A. C. |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=118 |issue=51 |pmc=8713968 |doi-access=free }}

{{see also|Genetically modified food controversies#Protests}}On August 8, 2013, an experimental plot of golden rice being developed by IRRI and DA-PhilRice in Camarines Sur province of the Philippines was uprooted by protesters.{{Cite web |last=Slezak |first=Michael |title=Militant Filipino farmers destroy Golden Rice GM crop |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24021-militant-filipino-farmers-destroy-golden-rice-gm-crop/ |date=9 August 2013 |access-date=2021-08-21 |website=New Scientist |language=en-US}} British author Mark Lynas reported in Slate that the vandalism was carried out by a group of activists led by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) (literally 'Farmers' Movement of the Philippines').{{Cite web|last=Lynas|first=Mark|date=2013-08-26|title=Anti-GMO Activists Lie About Attack on Rice Crop (and About So Many Other Things)|url=https://slate.com/technology/2013/08/golden-rice-attack-in-philippines-anti-gmo-activists-lie-about-protest-and-safety.html|access-date=2021-08-21|website=Slate Magazine|language=en}}

A recommendation was made that golden rice be distributed free to subsistence farmers.{{cite journal | doi = 10.1104/pp.125.3.1157 | last1 = Potrykus | first1 = I. | year = 2001 | title = Golden Rice and Beyond | journal = Plant Physiology | volume = 125 | issue = 3| pages = 1157–61 | pmid = 11244094 | pmc = 1539367 }} Free licenses for developing countries were granted quickly due to the positive publicity that golden rice received, particularly in Time magazine in July 2000.{{cite magazine|url= http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,997586,00.html |title = This Rice Could Save a Million Kids a Year |magazine = Time |date= 2000-07-31 | access-date = 2014-06-12|last1 = Nash |first1 = J. Madeleine }} Monsanto Company was one of the companies to grant free licences for related patents owned by the company.{{Citation | last = Dobson | first = Roger | year = 2000 | pmc = 2560613 | title = Royalty-free licenses for genetically modified rice made available to developing countries | journal = Bulletin of the World Health Organization | volume = 78 | number = 10 | page = 1281 | pmid=11100623}}. The cutoff between humanitarian and commercial use was set at US$10,000. Therefore, as long as a farmer or subsequent user of golden rice genetics would not make more than $10,000 per year, no royalties would need to be paid. In addition, farmers would be permitted to keep and replant seed.{{cite web|url= http://www.goldenrice.org/Content3-Why/why3_FAQ.php#Licence | work = Frequently asked questions | title = Golden Rice Project |publisher=Golden rice |date=2004-10-13 |access-date = 2013-08-26}}

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{{Commons category|Golden rice}}

• [http://www.philrice.gov.ph/golden-rice/qa/ The Philippines Rice Research Institute – Golden Rice Questions and Answers]

{{Varieties of rice}}

{{Genetic engineering}}

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Category:Genetically modified organisms in agriculture

Category:Rice varieties

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