Every year, hundreds of thousands of children suffer from visual impairment and health problems due to vitamin A deficiency.
The problem is especially large in countries where rice is a staple food, as rice does not contain vitamin A.
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Therefore, it was a welcome advancement that the Philippines in 2021 became the first country to approve [vitamin A enriched Golden Rice] for commercial cultivation.
This could have been the start of a golden era.
But GMO-skeptical Greenpeace and other environmental organizations appealed the decision to approve the rice. Unfortunately, in April, the decision came from the Philippine Supreme Court to stop the cultivation.
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This is the culmination of a long campaign from Greenpeace. They argue, among other things, that there are no concrete studies on the effectiveness of Golden Rice in combating vitamin A deficiency, and that organic farming is better for the environment and consumers. In addition, Greenpeace also had objections to the process in which the rice was approved in the Philippines.
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But Greenpeace has not yet managed to stop Golden Rice everywhere. In China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam, processes are underway to approve it. In addition, work is underway to change Golden Rice so that it also contains iron and zinc.
