The Golden Rice Hoax

THE “GOLDEN RICE” HOAX –
When Public Relations replaces Science

by Dr. Vandana Shiva

Golden rice has been heralded as the miracle cure for malnutrition and hunger of which 800m members of the human community suffer.

Herbicide resistant and toxin producing genetically engineered plants can be objectionable because of their ecological and social costs. But who could possibly object to rice engineered to produce vitamin A, a deficiency found in nearly 3 million children, largely in the Third World?

As remarked by Mary Lou Guerinot, the author of the Commentary on Vitamin A rice in Science, one can only hope that this application of plant genetic engineering to ameliorate human misery without regard to short term profit will restore this technology to political acceptability.

Unfortunately, Vitamin A rice is a hoax, and will bring further dispute to plant genetic engineering where public relations exercises seem to have replaced science in promotion of untested, unproven and unnecessary technology.

The problem is that vitamin A rice will not remove vitamin A deficiency (VAD). It will seriously aggravate it. It is a technology that fails in its promise.

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Golden Rice is a False Miracle

Golden Rice is a genetically engineered rice with two genes from a daffodil and one gene from a bacterium which gives it a yellow colouring, which is supposed to increase beta carotene, a precursor to Vit A. It is being offered as a miracle cure for Vit A Deficiency (VAD)

But Golden Rice is a false miracleIt is a disease of nutritionally empty monocultures offered as a cure for nutritional deficiency. According to goldenrice.org, children under the age of 7 require 450 ‘units’ of Retinol (Vitamin A) Equivalents. Children would therefore have to eat 300gms of Golden Rice to get their daily requirement of Vit A. In indigenous food cultures, a child’s diet normally contains less than than 150 gmsof rice, but also contains a range of other nutritious foods grown by women.In fact, Golden Rice is 350% less efficient in providing Vit A than the biodiversity alternatives that women have to offer. To get your daily requirement of Vit A, all you need to eat is one of the following:

two tablespoons of Spinach or Cholai leavesor Radish leaves
four tablespoons of Mustard or Bathua leaves
one tablespoon of coriander chutney
one and a half table spoon of mint chutney
one carrot
one mango

Not only do these indigenous alternatives based on women’s knowledge provide more Vit A than Golden Rice at a lower cost, they also provide other nutrients.

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#GoldenRice 400% LessEfficient in provid. VitA than BiodiversityAlternatives https://t.co/FWyKR3L0yX @drvandanashiva pic.twitter.com/X6O95ynEFx

— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) July 21, 2016

Also read:

Sign and share the Declaration for International Women’s Day, 8th March, to pre-empt the GMO propaganda:

Indian farmers grow naturally purple rice .We don't need #GMORce yellow or purple . #Biodiversity @occupytheseed https://t.co/QtCKFUwrOj

— Dr. Vandana Shiva (@drvandanashiva) June 28, 2017

Don’t Eat the Yellow Rice: The Danger of Deploying Vitamin A #GoldenRice https://t.co/uBtgwL0G2M @drvandanashiva pic.twitter.com/49jcGsXVWC

— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) July 16, 2016

All you need to know about the #GM food controversy https://t.co/Amcg2JWbQZ @drvandanashiva #GoldenRiceHoax #NobelLaureatesExposed

— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) July 10, 2016

107NobelLaureates' statement suppresses & denies #Women's Knowledge&Science https://t.co/uhz4Wfor5G @drvandanashiva pic.twitter.com/1INlfOK9KN

— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) July 1, 2016

Blind&Unscientific #BioTechPR DoesNotSee the Best Alternative to #GoldenRice https://t.co/9YyHODCWtY @drvandanashiva pic.twitter.com/mr2d3Af7zD

— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) July 1, 2016

#GoldenRice 100s of % InferiorTo BiodiversityOptions https://t.co/bAvazTxZRs https://t.co/uhz4Wfor5G @drvandanashiva pic.twitter.com/oqUXQgbI7I

— Seed Freedom (@occupytheseed) July 1, 2016

The Golden Rice Hoax