Provitamin-A Biofortified Golden Rice Approved for Commercial Cultivation in Philippines - A Breakthrough in Fighting Hidden Hunger

Abstract

More than three decades have passed since vitamin A deficiency (VAD) has been recognized as a severe public health concern, as white rice provides no micronutrients. This issue is particularly acute in countries where rice is the staple food. Golden rice is a public-sector product designed as an additional intervention for VAD, having one gene from maize and the other from a relatively common soil bacteria. The journey of golden rice from the laboratory to the field has taken a long time. It has been legally recognized as safe as food, feed, or processed form in four industrialized countries, while approval applications are pending for underdeveloped nations. In the Philippines, the Filipino farmers will be the first in the world who able to grow golden rice for daily consumption, which might potentially eliminate child malnutrition.