Greenpeace: 'Golden' Rice Will Not Solve World Hunger Problems

Greenpeace: "Golden" Rice Will Not Solve WorldHunger Problems

MANILA, Philippines--Greenpeace posted a press release on its Web site (www.greenpeace.org)Feb. 9 to inform the public that "golden" rice is not as practical asthe genetically modified (GM) food industry suggested. Golden rice is a vitaminA-infused rice variety that was created by the GM-giant, Monsanto. Thetechnology was given away royalty-free because of the rice's potential foralleviating symptoms (such as diarrhea and blindness) of malnutrition.
However, based on calculations conducted by Greenpeace, an adult would have toeat at least 12 times more rice than the daily recommendation in order tobenefit from the rice's vitamin A. In other words, a person's normal dailyintake of rice--300 grams--would only meet eight percent of the dailyrecommended allowance for vitamin A. That means the average adult would have toeat nine kilograms of cooked rice per day, and a lactating mother would have toconsume 18 kilograms.
"We recalculatedfigures again and again, [and] we just could not believeserious scientists and companies would [recommend] this," said a Greenpeacecampaigner from the Philippines, where the first shipments of the GM rice weresent to plant alongside local varieties at the Rice Research Institute.
Nonetheless, Greenpeace stated that it would not oppose the rice studiescurrently underway. Although the organization protests other GM crops, aspokesperson from Greenpeace International stated that promoting food that couldhelp with blindness and malnutrition is a moral decision. For more information,visit www.greenpeace.org.