23 November 2019 | New Scientist | 23A
FTER a regulatory approval
process lasting two years,
Bangladesh is expected
to soon green-light the cultivation
of “golden rice” genetically
modified to prevent vitamin A
deficiencies. It would be the first
approval in a country where the
rice is sorely needed, and perhaps
a turning point in a long-running
and bitter battle.
Our bodies make vitamin A
from beta-carotene, the pigment
that gives carrots and sweet
potatoes their colour. But many
people can’t afford to eat much
apart from rice, which is low in
beta-carotene. Lack of vitamin A
causes blindness and weakens
the immune system, and kills
more than half a million children
a year. There is a global push to
give vitamin A supplements
to children, but a third of those at
risk still aren’t receiving them, and
coverage has fallen in recent years.
When biologists unveiled the
prototype of golden rice in 1999,
they expected a warm welcome.
The researcher behind the project,
Ingo Potrykus, told New Scientist
that it would be three years before
farmers could plant it. Yet 20 years
on, the rice has been approved
only in Australia, Canada, New
Zealand and the US, countries not
noted for vitamin A deficiency.
Early strains didn’t produce
enough beta-carotene, but this
was fixed. The problem now is that
golden rice has been demonised
by anti-GM campaigners, who
see it as a Trojan horse for the
JOSacceptance of other genetically
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Comment
Michael Le Page is an
environment reporter for
New Scientist @mjflepageViews
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reveal all p32modified crops, even though
this has already happened in
many countries.
What shocks me is that some
activists continue to misrepresent
the truth about the rice. The cynic
in me expects profit-driven
multinationals to behave
unethically, but I want to
think that those voluntarily
campaigning on issues they care
about have higher standards.
For instance, there is the claim
that the US Food and Drug
Administration has said that
golden rice has no nutritionalbenefits. The FDA said only that
because people in the US eat so
little rice on average, golden rice
wouldn’t make much difference.
In the Philippines, meanwhile, it is
being claimed that beta-carotene
breaks down into cancer-causing
chemicals. That simply isn’t true.
The deeper problem here is the
idea that genetically modified
crops are inherently good or bad.
All crop breeding involves genetic
changes. What we call genetic
modification is just a newer set
of manipulation methods – now
including CRISPR, which makes itfar easier to make desired changes.
Think of it as like computer-
generated graphics in films. CGI
can create amazing effects, but
what makes a movie great – or
terrible – is the end result, not how
the special effects are achieved.
Opponents of genetic
modification claim it is inherently
dangerous. If this were true, many
“natural” foods would be bad for
us. One in 20 plants, including tea
and bananas, naturally contain
genes added by the bacterium
used by genetic engineers.
That doesn’t mean all GM crops
are good. Some, especially those
designed to help turn a profit,
could turn out to have undesirable
consequences. The irony is that
activists have helped to create
a situation in which only rich
multinationals can afford to get
GM crops approved, while many
potentially beneficial ones never
get beyond the laboratory.
Worse, because anti-GM
campaigners have made so many
false or exaggerated claims about
existing GM crops, people might
be less likely to believe them
if there is a genuine problem.
My fear now though is that
if Bangladesh approves golden
rice, activists will try to dissuade
farmers from growing it and
parents from feeding it to their
kids. This battle is far from over,
and its victims will continue to
be needlessly suffering children. ❚Golden prospects
Genetically modified golden rice is finally set for approval where it is
needed, but GM scaremongering continues, argues Michael Le Page