After 30 years, is a GM food breakthrough finally here?

[roseBudd]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/02/genetic-modification-breakthrough-golden-rice

Thirty years after scientists first revealed they had created the world's first GM crop, hopes that their potential to ease global malnutrition problems may be realised at last. Bangladesh and Indonesia have indicated they are ready to accept golden rice and other nations, including India, have also said that they are considering planting it.

"Vitamin A deficiency is deadly," said Adrian Dubock, a member of the Golden Rice project. "It affects children's immune systems and kills around two million every year in developing countries. It is also a major cause of blindness in the third world. Boosting levels of vitamin A in rice provides a simple, straightforward way to put that right."

Recent tests have revealed that a substantial amount of vitamin A can be obtained by eating only 60g of cooked golden rice. "This has enormous potential," said Dubock....

"All the time, opponents to golden rice insisted, year after year, that it would not be able to produce vitamin A in those who ate it," said Beyer, golden rice's co-creator. "For example, it was alleged by Greenpeace that people would have to eat several kilograms of the stuff to get any benefit."

Two studies, both published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demolished this claim. The first, in 2009, was based on a group of healthy adult volunteers in the US and showed that golden rice's beta-carotene was easily taken up into the bloodstream. The second trial was carried out by American and Chinese researchers and published last year. It was carried out on Chinese children, aged between six and eight, and showed that a bowl of cooked golden rice, between 100g and 150g, could provide 60% of the recommended intake of vitamin A for young people. The study also revealed that golden rice is better than spinach at providing vitamin A.

"Given that normal rice has no vitamin A to speak of, that shows the importance of what has been achieved," said Dubock.

[nebenaube]

1. That's fine and dandy...

But if it's roundup ready and endogenously produces it's own pesticide then no... eradicate it. Cross pollination has already been demonstrated. Too much Vitamin A or E can be poisonous.

[roseBudd]

2. False

You clearly did not read the article.

Beta carotene. The arrogance of the well fed is astonishing.

[roseBudd]

3. Also in the pipe4line for malnourished Africans...

the golden banana

The Golden Rice project has had one beneficial knock-on effect, however. It has triggered a series of similar crop modification programmes that aim to tackle vitamin A deficiency through use of other GM foodstuffs. One example is provided by the golden banana, which has been created by scientists led by Professor James Dale of Queensland University in Australia.

"In Uganda, where the banana is a key source of nutrition, there is considerable vitamin A deficiency and also iron deficiency in diets," he said. "The former not only causes blindness but leaves children less able to fight disease which, in Africa, is particularly serious. The latter, iron deficiency, causes blood disorders."

To put this right, Dale and his team have found ways to boost beta-carotene levels in bananas. Now they are working on boosting iron levels as well. The team expects to have developed a golden banana, that will raise both iron and vitamin A levels, by the end of the decade.

"People in Uganda eat up to a kilogram of mashed banana a day, so we don't need to get a great deal of beta-carotene in our bananas," said Dale.

The result of the team's work will be similar to golden rice: peeled, the pale fruit will be carrot-coloured. And if that sounds strange, it is worth noting that carrots were not originally orange. In the 17th century they were mostly yellow or purple, but were bred to be orange by Dutch farmers in tribute to the ruling House of Orange.

[proverbialwisdom]

4. Check it out.

http://gmwatch.org/latest-listing/52-2013/14983-philanthrocapitalism-biotechnology-and-development

Philanthrocapitalism, biotechnology, and development
Friday, 19 July 2013 21:57

http://www.opendemocracy.net/sally-brooks/investing-in-food-security-on-philanthrocapitalism-biotechnology-and-development

Investing in food security? On philanthrocapitalism, biotechnology, and development
Sally Brooks
Open Democracy, 18 July 2013

[Myrina]

5. Sorry, no. The industry that developed Agent Orange and DDT really shouldn't be advertising itself

... as the 'savior of mankind'. I would rather go hungry than eat something that will make me or my children/grandchildren glow in the dark or hit puberty at age 6, thanks.

[Sentath]

6. So, a biotech fix for an economic problem?

"golden rice is better than spinach at providing vitamin A. " but it falls far behind the real powerhouse foods like squash.

Is it actually easier to re-engineer rice than to make it economically feasible for them to eat a healthy diet?