Golden rice

Golden rice is a variety of rice (<a href="/facts/Oryza_sativa/9E0CLDVw">Oryza sativa</a>) produced through <a href="/facts/Genetic_engineering/vwdlDR61">genetic engineering</a> to <a href="/facts/Biosynthesis/aFk7Tk7f">biosynthesize</a> <a href="/facts/Beta-carotene/SCre3Wzr">beta-carotene</a>, a precursor of <a href="/facts/Retinol/pUwofb2S">vitamin A</a>, in the edible parts of the rice. It is intended to produce a <a href="/facts/Food_fortification/Yr96v3Jj">fortified food</a> to be grown and consumed in areas with a <a href="/facts/Vitamin_A_deficiency/vxU5gh4k">shortage of dietary vitamin A</a>. Genetically modified golden rice can produce up to 23 times as much beta-carotene as the original golden rice.
Golden rice is generally considered to be safe, with the FDA, Health Canada, <a href="/facts/International_Rice_Research_Institute/kYxXsS8y">International Rice Research Institute</a> and the <a href="/facts/Bill_%2526_Melinda_Gates_Foundation/IW7prjCH">Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation</a> supporting its use. It has been met with significant opposition from some <a href="/facts/Environmentalism/hhFsXTLE">environmental</a> and <a href="/facts/Anti-globalization_movement/lbnRcsoq">anti-globalisation</a> activists, alleging risks regarding biodiversity and expressing concerns about unforeseen health effects and socioeconomic impacts. In 2016, 107 Nobel laureates wrote an open letter to <a href="/facts/Greenpeace/nB8x6RJL">Greenpeace</a> and its supporters, asking them to abandon their campaign against <a href="/facts/Genetically_modified_crops/vKkn4oVs">genetically modified crops</a> in general and golden rice in particular. In 2024, the <a href="/facts/Court_of_Appeals_of_the_Philippines/dBtboomM">Filipino Court of Appeals</a> issued a <a href="/facts/Cease_and_desist/jG0jqxUz">cease and desist order</a> for the growth of golden rice in the country, citing a lack of scientific certainty regarding its health and environmental impact.

Golden rice open-in-new

Golden rice