Saving children from blindness with golden rice

By Joshua Corcuera

Last Friday, the Philippines became the first country in the world to approve the commercial production of ‘golden rice’. Named after its bright yellow hue, experts hope that the genetically modified rice will combat childhood blindness especially in developing countries.

The development of golden rice by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Department of Agriculture spanned two decades. Enriched with vitamin A, golden rice is seen as a possible solution to cases of childhood blindness.

Vitamin A is essential for proper eyesight, normal function of the immune system, and growth and development. According to the IRRI, roughly 17% of children aged five and below in the Philippines lack vitamin A.

Meanwhile, based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO), lack of vitamin A is widespread in developing countries and is a public health problem in more than half of all countries, especially those in Africa and Southeast Asia.

“An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children who are vitamin A-deficient become blind every year,” the WHO says, “and half of them die within 12 months of losing their sight.”

Additionally, deficiency of vitamin A is the leading preventable cause of childhood blindness and is connected with “significant morbidity and mortality from common childhood infections.”

Despite its promising target of fighting vitamin A-deficiency and saving children from blindness, golden rice is not spared from criticism due to the fact that it is a genetically modified organism (GMO).

GMOs are organisms whose genes were altered by engineering techniques rather than nature itself. An environmental concern with GMOs is its potential to create new weeds by persisting in the wild which may spell problems for farmers and gardeners. Moreover, the altered genes of GMOs may cause allergic reactions to some people.

However, there seems to be no need for so much worry as of now. According to Purdue University, over the two decades that GMOs have been on the market, there have been no occurrences of health issues related to such.

“The only change [compared to ordinary rice] that we’ve made is to produce beta-carotene in the grain,” Russell Reinke of the IRRI explained. Golden rice is also the first genetically modified rice approved for commercial production in Southeast Asia.

Though golden rice was not approved for commercial production in Australia, Canada, and the United States, food safety regulators from the said countries analyzed the GMO and found it to be safe.

As far as science is concerned, one can learn that advancements in research and development make such achievements possible. Other than this remarkable achievement, the safety of GMOs are also made possible thanks to science. Hence, it is imperative for authorities to increase further support for the country’s scientists. This would allow them to embark on additional research and studies that could help society improve over the passage of time. More importantly, scientists are deserving of receiving incentives for their hardwork and efforts in helping address the problems of society.