Dubock-Politics of GR-2014 PDF

RESEARCH PAPER
GM Crops & Food 5:3, 210--222; July/August/September 2014; Published with license by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
The politics of Golden Rice

Adrian Dubock*
Executive Secretary; Golden Rice Humanitarian Board; Switzerland
Keywords: Cartagena Protocol (CP), Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), GMO-crop, Golden Rice, regulation, Tufts University,
vitamin A deficiency
Genetic knowledge applicable to crop improvement has erupted over the past 60 years, and the techniques of
introducing genes from one organism to another have enabled new varieties of crops not achievable by previously
available methodologies of crop breeding. Research and particularly development of these GMO-crops to a point where
they are useful for growers and consumers in most countries is subject to complex national and international rules
arising out of the UN’s Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity, with 167 country
signatories. (The USA and Canada are not signatories.) The Protocol was developed based on concerns initially
expressed in the 1970’s that such technology presented unusual risks to man and the environment. Those ideas have
comprehensively and authoritatively been proven to be wrong. The Protocol has nevertheless spawned significant
regulatory obstacles to the development of GMO-crop technology at great cost to global society and in conflict with
many other UN objectives. The suspicion induced by the Protocol is also widely used, overtly or covertly, for political
purposes. These points are illustrated by reference to the not-for-profit Golden Rice project.
Introduction Golden Rice contained 3 genes of interest introduced from other

organisms, this was later reduced to 2, and then the plant source
Within 20 years of Watson & Crick1 describing the structure of one of the genes was changed from a daffodil to maize4 which
of DNA, scientists themselves initiated a debate as to what level increased both the quantity of carotenoids and also the propor-
of concern was appropriate in the way science conducted genetic tion of the most important carotenoid for vitamin A synthesis by
research, and what level of regulation was appropriate. The Asilo- the human body, beta-carotene. In 2001 the inventors donated
mar Conference Center in California hosted a 1974 meeting the technology, including any future improved versions of it by
including global scientists, lawyers and (10% of the participants) them and their collaborators, to assist malnourished and resource
the press.2 The potential for recombinant DNA to make signifi- poor people.5
cant contributions to developments in medicine, agriculture and In 2014 their vision has still not been realized. Undoubtedly
industry was well appreciated, but tempered with concerns for the most significant factor in the delay is that the nutritional trait
human health and the environment from newly created organ- in Golden Rice, as rice varieties containing it are known, was ini-
isms with the potential for self-replication. Some scientists tially created using genetic engineering techniques. In synony-
believed that there were dangers in scientists “assuming leader- mous parlance, Golden Rice is a GMO-crop, where GMO
ship in formulating policies that were matters of public con- means genetically modified organism, and particularly an organ-
cern. . .some. . .believed that the public debate itself was a great ism where a gene from another species has been added to the
threat. . . and that the fallout of claim and counterclaim would genome. It is unclear how many years would have been saved if
bring debilitating restrictions or even prohibitions on molecular Golden Rice had been created without genetic engineering but
biological research.”2 the speed of introduction of an agronomically useful non-gmo
Almost a decade after Asilomar the first transgenic plant was trait is illustrative. The trait imparting submergence tolerance to
created (in 1982), and within 2 years an established plant rice was first described in 2006. An established Indian rice vari-
breeder, Peter Jennings, had the idea which directly led to Ingo ety, Swarna, including the trait was by 2011 already the fifth and
Potrykus and Peter Beyer starting their decade of research to pro- by 2012 the third of the 10 most demanded breeder seed in India
duce a rice which accumulated carotenoids, as a source of vitamin for the monsoon planting season (AK Singh, pers. com. quoting
A when eaten by humans. Their first ‘proof of concept’ beta-caro- draft Proceedings 46th and 47th Annual Rice Research Group
tene biofortified rice was produced in 1999.3 The prototype Meeting, AICRIP, DRR, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad).
© Adrian Dubock
*Correspondence to: Adrian Dubock; Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Submitted: 07/30/2014; Revised: 09/16/2014; Accepted: 09/16/2014
http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/21645698.2014.967570
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The
moral rights of the named author(s) have been asserted.
210 GM Crops & Food Volume 5 Issue 3

For most currently common applications of recombinant Principles. Principle 15 states: “In order to protect the environ-
DNA, including in pharmaceuticals (such as insulin and many ment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by
drugs) and food processing (such as enzymes routinely used in States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of
the manufacture of bread, cheese, wine, and beer) at the Asilomar serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall
meeting “The issue [of concern about the technology] and it’s not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to
resolution were complete before an entrenched, intransigent and prevent environmental degradation.”
chronic opposition developed.”2 The “Earth Summit” meeting resulted in the 30 page Conven-
What is different about the application of recombinant DNA tion on Biological Diversity (‘CBD’) which came into effect in
technology to crop plants and which has caused the Golden Rice late 1993. Its intent was to provide “a comprehensive and holistic
delay? A one word answer is “regulation,” as explained by many approach to the conservation of biological diversity, the sustain-
authors including prominently by one of the inventors of Golden able use of natural resources and the fair and equitable sharing of
Rice.6-9 benefits deriving from the use of genetic resources.” The CBD
Regulation of GMO crops includes – usually on a nation by recognized the obligation to protect the world’s genetic resources.
nation basis–review by that nation’s government appointed offi- It also recognized that human development was the overriding
cials of data about that crop including molecular structure of the priority of non-industrialised countries.12 It appears that this sen-
altered genome, any allergenicity potential by comparison with sible approach was insufficient for some.
databases of know allergens, and its comparison with established The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (‘CPB’ or Cartagena
standard data for the genomes of the same crop, and any other Protocol) was developed as an addendum to the CBD, published
data the officials think necessary to establish that the crop poses in 200013 and came into force in 2003. The Principle which
no risks to the environment or human health if it were to be culti- only made number 15 of Annex 1’s 27 Principles, the
vated and consumed on a large scale. Comparison of the data for ‘precautionary approach’ is nevertheless used to qualify the first
the GMO-crop with the non-gmo version is designed to demon- Objective of the Cartagena Protocol which addresses “biosafety,
strate only the intended effect of the transformation for which the focusing specifically on transboundary movement of any living
novel genes were introduced to that genome. Such comparison is modified organism resulting from modern biotechnology that
challenging as the standard data set for any crop is usually very may have adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable use
limited ‘spot data’ without a range of values, although crop plants of biological diversity.” This is unfortunate: “The [precautionary]
exist in many varieties and life stages, all of which may have very principle has long been a major impediment to good sense in
different values for all the analytic variables. Only when regulatory public policy. It is either so obvious as to be otiose (“if there is
clearance has been applied for by an applicant, and the regulators cause for concern, be careful”), or so vague as to be meaningless.
have judged it safe, will the GMO-crop be cleared for planting by But in its most common application—“where an activity raises
farmers, and consumption by consumers, in that country. threats of harm to the environment or human health, precaution-
Obtaining regulatory clearance (called deregulation in the US) ary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect rela-
is undoubtedly time consuming and expensive, but regulation is tionships are not fully established scientifically”—it has been an
but one aspect of what may be better described as ‘societal sus- invaluable tool for those who want to stop any new scientific
picion’ of genetic engineering of crop plants. The sum of all the development that they dislike.”14
societal suspicion, and its effects, relating to Golden Rice can be The Cartagena Protocol was subsequently reinforced by the
regarded as the ‘Politics of Golden Rice.’ UN Environmental Programme spending more than
$100 million on training developing countries on risk assessment
associated with “transboundary movement of living modified
United Nations: The Convention on Biodiversity organisms” e.g. GMO-crops. Nothing was spent on benefits
and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety assessment of GMO-crops.
The concerns about the impact of the new field of genetic GMO-crops have been found by numerous independent sci-
research on human health and the environment initially entific authorities globally to be no more hazardous to man or
expressed by the scientists and discussed in the 1970’s eventually the environment than crops produced by other methods. With
resulted in the United Nations Conference on Environment and almost the same access to scientific experience as the authors of
Development (“The Earth Summit”) in Rio de Janeiro in June the Cartagena Protocol all independent scientific authorities in
1992. This was the first UN meeting where parties other than the world, starting in 1999 have concluded that GMO-crops are
Governments participated10 and ‘civil society’–now called safe (Table 1).15
NGO’s (non-governmental organisations)—participated much Similarly, the European Commission’s very substantial scien-
more diligently than industry or academe. tific evaluation of GMO- crops was published in 2010: “The
Annex 1 of the Report of the UN Conference on Environ- main conclusion to be drawn from the efforts of more than 130
ment and Development,11 which immediately followed the Rio research projects, covering a period of more than 25 years of
meeting of June 1992, “Reaffirm[s] the Declaration of the research and involving more than 500 independent research
United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, groups, is that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, are not
adopted at Stockholm on 16 June 1972, [eg 2 years before the per se more risky than, for example, conventional plant breeding
Asilomar conference] and seek[s] to build upon it” and lists 27 technologies.”16
www.landesbioscience.com GM Crops & Food 211

Table 1. List of impartial institutions that have concluded genetically modified crops are safe to man and the environment and the technology poses no
inherent risk
Institution Country Year
Nuffield Council on Bioethics UK 1999

Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development International 2000
European Research Directorate European Commission 2001
French Academy of Science France 2002
French Academy of Medicine France 2002
Director General, World Health Organization International 2002
International Council for Science International 2003
Royal Society UK 2003
United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization International 2004
British Medical Association UK 2004
Union of German Academies of Science & Humanities Germany 2004
European Commission EU 2010
Plus: the American, Brazilian, Chinese, Indian and Mexican Academies of Science!
And this is now based on actual empirical evidence of almost 2 Underpinning most if not all of the arguments against genetic
decades of commercial usage of gmo crops, and multiple evalua- engineering of crops are the suspicions raised by the CBD and
tions, rather than theoretical concerns of the 1970’s, upon which especially the Cartagena Protocol. The Cartagena Protocol’s
the CBD and the Cartagena Protocol are based. foundations initially considered rock, are actually sand. The pub-
Additionally there are many publications concerning the ben- lic consciousness ‘knows’ that there is ‘no smoke without fire’:
efits of GMO-crops, including by the UN’s Food and Agricul- why would these crops justify such onerous oversight if there was
ture Organisation.17,18 no need for it? And these suspicions have been harnessed, and
emphasized by different interest groups to support their particu-
lar positions.
The Cartagena Protocol Foundations of the
Opposition to GMO-Crops, Initially Considered House #1 (built on the sand foundations)
Rock, Are Actually Sand Initially, when the first GMO-crops became commercially
Many observers have tried to explain the opposition to geneti- available in 1996, not all scientists were convinced by the reassur-
cally engineered crops and Golden Rice,eg19 when overwhelm- ances of their peers, nor the regulatory decisions of their govern-
ingly science does not explain it: there remains not one ments. Some set up experiments to investigate potential
substantiated case of harm to human health or the environment environmental or other hazard. For a public sensitized by a series
from the use of genetic engineering in connection with crop of food scares in Europe, including BSE and salmonella in eggs
breeding. And biologically this is not surprising, at the molecular where reassurance from politicians had proved to be false, the
level there is no difference between conventional breeding, press found it interesting to highlight the published results of
including techniques of inducing random genome changes using Ewen and Pusztai23 on potatoes and Losey et al.24 on Monarch
chemicals and radiation as mutagens17,20 common since the butterflies. Both groups concluded there were adverse effects of
1940’s, and recombinant DNA technology use in genetic engi- genetic modification. However, in both cases the experimental
neering. Natural molecular evolution of genetic variants, and design did not support the conclusions reached by the authors,
genetic engineering, involve the same 3 processes: small local nor did it allow the research to be repeated by others. The quality
changes in nucleotide sequence, internal reshuffling of genomic of the science in both cases was discredited, and found to be of
DNA segments, and acquisition of small segments of DNA from no validity for practically relevant understanding.25,26,27,28
another type of organism by horizontal gene transfer.21
Understanding the fundamental reasons for opposition to House #2 (built on the sand foundations)
genetically engineered crops is difficult as each time evidence Food safety, playing God, anti-capitalist, anti-globalisation, a
based logic prevails in favor of the anti-GMO-crop position; romantic view of small scale agriculture, anti-government and in
another often unrelated objection is raised. the case of Europe anti-America, were commonly held views of
The media do not help either. Usually pursuing an agenda to many, and GMO-crops and the business model supporting their
entertain rather than educate, they conventionally adopt the pos- commercialisation were both a useful single issue proxy for oppo-
ture of “False Equivalency” described as assuming the correct sition to all of them.
position between 2 opposing views is the midpoint between So activist groups including Friends of the Earth and Green-
them independent of the weight of evidence.22 The media are peace, and many other acolytes were not slow to appreciate the
more inclined to this behavior with respect to GMO-crops than campaigning value of the sentiment of the public for raising don-
with, for example the different views of creationists and evolu- ations. Individuals campaigning on a similar basis for donations
tionists. In these ways the debate appears to be endless, even to support their political ideology included prominently Mae-
though on the weight of scientific evidence the argument is over. Wan Ho and Vandana Shiva.29,30,31

The fear of genetically modified-crops emanating from February 1998,33 and thereafter extensively used the shortened
Houses 1 and 2 became the accepted wisdom of many people form ‘Frankenfoods.’ Governments in Europe were taken by sur-
who were so uneducated about biology (“don’t give me tomatoes prise by the use of the label, and the vehemence of the opposition
with genes”) and agriculture (“agriculture is about lifescape and to GMO-crops. Without a consistent, science based set of princi-
landscape”) that they were unable to discern the truth. (On being ples, and mindful of short electoral cycles, European governments
informed that one of the new genes in genetically modified had soon boxed themselves into a position where they increasingly
Golden Rice now came from maize, not as initially daffodil, a knew that the science did not support any technology-specific
practicing medical clinician commented that it must be much opposition to GMO-crops, but were unable to publicly voice any
easier growing rice alongside maize than alongside daffodils to support for them. Already published in 2005 Lord Taverne wrote
produce Golden Rice. The message that the genetic modification a book entitled “The March of Unreason."34 The lack of scientific
involved occurs only once, in a laboratory, in the development of justification for effectively European political rejection of GMO-
a gmo crop, is not well understood.) And governments and com- crops was endorsed by the 2008 World Trade Organization deci-
panies were not trusted. So ‘moral leadership’ from anyone not sion in support of the US contention that it was no more than an
associated with government or companies was welcomed: NGO’s illegal trade impediment.35
– organisations or individuals – found useful acceptance.32 By 2011 despite all representatives of the respective European
Activist organisations try a variety of tactics, usually in the Community governments privately admitting that there was no
same order, in each country where they are active: scientific justification for opposition to GMO-crops many did
not vote positively for them (Figure 1).36
i. Address the population through the media and media stunts Only in 2014 has it been agreed in the European Commission
ii. Attempt to intimidate government by appeals to “popular that individual EU countries shall be free to choose to approve, or
support,” and especially involve “environmental concerns” not, for planting within their territory GMO-crops judged safe by
and intimidate Ministers into action the European Food Safety Authority. But this agreement to a 2-
iii. Write papers in “peer reviewed” journals, which are sham sci- step process still has to be voted on by the European Parliament.37
ence, and where the “peer reviewers” share their ideology
iv. Utilize legal challenges to due process – especially regulatory House #3 (built on the sand foundations)
process–of research or use. Science matters less to most The scientific evidence that GMO-crops were as safe (some
courts, than process. said safer) to man than crops produced by other methods contin-
ued to mount so that no rational individual or organization with
The phrase ‘Frankenstein foods’ first use is credited to a letter even a slight scientific understanding could morally ignore it.
in the New York Times on June 16 1992. Subsequently the British And evidence also was mounting that in many respects GMO-
newspaper ‘The Daily Mail’ used the same phrase in a headline in crops provided significant economic and environmental benefits
Figure 1. Most policy-makers follow public opinion, rather than science. Adapted from Ref.68

too, by for example reducing the amount of tractor fuel required be more organic than GMO-plants using their own genomes to,
for tillage, by increasing yields, by reducing the need for machin- for instance, improve their nutrition, improve their ability to effi-
ery to handle pesticides, by making insect control agricultural-scale ciently use water or nitrogen from the air and control only the
neutral, by allowing improvements to the micronutrient content insects which eat the crop. And perhaps, because in the case of
of some crop plants where ‘conventional’ plant breeding was not donated traits, such as the source of vitamin A in Golden Rice,
possible, whereas for the past 40 years all yield improvements had there is no opportunity for an industry to make profits from peo-
been around macronutrient (principally carbohydrate) yield.38 ple’s preferences.
But House #3 became occupied by those which, despite
understanding the above, cynically ignored the facts and contin-
ued to fuel the fears for commercial, or other, gain. Who are How has the suspicion of GMO-crops delayed the
these occupiers? Some of them are the same NGO’s who started development of Golden Rice?
living in House #2, but found it convenient to move because the
fundraising campaign strategy of ‘anti-gmo’ was so powerfully As has been explained, in most countries, for a genetically
useful. Friends of the Earth is prominent, and others, but the engineered crop to be registered as safe to be made available to
most trenchantly opposed to GMO-crops for many years has growers and consumed, details of the genetic structure of the spe-
been Greenpeace. In his book “Confessions of a Greenpeace cific transformation event have to be understood and described,
Dropout – the making of a sensible environmentalist” Green- and preferably certain general parameters applicable to site of
peace co-founder Patrick Moore writes: insertion of the DNA allow the smoothest passage through the
“There is also a growing trend among environmental activists to regulatory process.
take on campaigns they will never win in the foreseeable future. They Regulation is based, in most jurisdictions, on a single transfor-
will never stop the growth of GM technology; they will never stop mation event, that is a single genetic insertion into, in the Golden
nuclear energy or fossil fuel energy; they will never stop the sustain- Rice case, the genome of rice. All subsequent steps are through
able management of forests for timber production; and they will conventional breeding. It is also preferable, to minimise any
never stop salmon aquaculture. This creates an opportunity for an future problems of presence of the trait in crop imports to other
endless campaign of propaganda, supporting an endless fundraising countries, (known as ‘low level presence’ or ‘adventitious presence’)
campaign to support even more propaganda. As a political strategy it for only one lead transformation event to be introgressed into all
is quite brilliant, except they didn’t actually devise it themselves, it varieties of the target crop, in each country where the specific variety
just happened that way. It happened that way because the campaigns is agronomically adapted to the target region, and preferred by the
they won are now over, and as they gradually abandoned science and consumers or processors in that region. In the case of Golden Rice
logic in favor of zero-tolerance policies, they inevitably ended up the lead transformation event was created once in about 2004, in
with unwinnable campaigns. Unfortunately we will have to put up UK. No genetic modification has occurred of Golden Rice any-
with these campaigns for a long, long time.”39 where else, including Asia, since then.
With respect to biofortified Golden Rice as the technology is Given the web of international trade in crops, and nationally
in the seed, no manufacturing, packaging, distribution or change asynchronous registration of GMO-crops for use, adventitious
of cultural practice is required for populations to improve their presence means non-compliance with a nations regulatory rules
nutritional status, and to be able to take advantage of opportuni- and, although not a safety issue, can imply significant direct and
ties available to them. The agronomy and cooking qualities and indirect penalties for those held responsible for the physical mate-
taste will be identical to the variety into which the nutritional rials containing the transformation event. Ensuring compliance is
trait is introduced. And each grain is labeled naturally, by its also very expensive.44 Most rice is consumed very close to where
golden color , allowing choice. Fortification and supplementation it is grown, and with Golden Rice the trait is highly visible in
do not offer these advantages for addressing micronutrient defi- each polished grain and the target growers are smallholders not
ciencies and are therefore not sustainable for poor populations. rice exporters, nevertheless the potential liability issue is frighten-
It is becoming clear that the organic food industry is also ing for all institutions public, and private. There is no vitamin A
occupying House #3. To try and justify the higher prices required deficiency in Europe, and little rice is grown in Europe, so why
by lower productivity the organic industry want consumers to register Golden Rice there? Only to anticipate and reduce the
believe that ‘organic food’ is more nutritious (it isn’t40), tastes impact of any unintended (or provocatively intentional) importa-
better (it doesn’t), is better for the environment (it isn’t41 eg p.180) tion. Surely the cost of such registration is an unnecessary burden
and safer (it isn’t16) than food produced by conventional agricul- for Golden Rice, where no one has been able to propose anything
ture. In terms of hazards, “organically grown crops,” put people other than benign benefits from its consumption. The concern
in hospital regularly and kill them sometimes.42 If people want about financial liability, the cost of inspecting and sending back
to grow, buy and consume organic crops why shouldn’t they? whole cargoes of crops, impedes scientific collaboration between
But why doesn’t the same tolerance apply in the other direc- institutions until the lead event is thoroughly characterized,
tion to GMO-crops? Possibly, as to continually refresh fear about which increases the risks of losses of expensive research material
GMO-crops assists the organic producers and their associations in one location of crops through natural disaster or protest
to meet their commercial targets.42,43 Perhaps another reason the destruction. It also limits research contributions from scientists
organic food lobby oppose GMO-crops is because nothing could in other institutions, in the case of Golden Rice, from the expert

licensee network of public sector rice research institutions and fields of Golden Rice were grown in the USA (which, like Can-
their rice breeders. This also slows down researches pace. ada, is not a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol45) in 2004 and
As each insertion of genetic material is random and each 2005. In Asia, due the local regulations derived from the Carta-
transformation event is unique, a selection of the specific gena Protocol, a confined field trial of Golden Rice was possible
transformation event to take forward has to be made from all for the first time only in 2008, and multi-location field trails
those available, after understanding how the phenotype only 5 years later in 2013. This delays plant breeders being able
behaves agronomically–ultimately in open fields–and in other to observe the plants phenotype in the field.46
respects, for example how much micronutrient is accumulated It may be possible to anticipate, before any undesirable
and retained after harvest. Although technologies are develop- phenotype shows up in field trials, from genomic data that
ing all the time to make this data collection faster and such undesirable effects may be expected. But this depends
cheaper to allow selection of the ‘lead event’, the generation on precise knowledge of the genes and their function, which
of a sufficient pool of transformation events to select from – may not have been elucidated, and the vigilance of busy sci-
usually a minimum of 300 and maybe several thousand – entists to obtain and calmly interrogate all relevant data. This
takes skill and a combination of science and experience, as process is vulnerable to human error much more than field
well as time and money. Experience with Golden Rice in the trials where, through plant breeder observation, individual
early years of the millennium demonstrated that the public plants with undesirable characteristics are literally weeded-out
sector did not, at that stage, have the capability to generate a before breeding programmes continue with the plants exhibit-
pool of transformation events to choose from. ing only the desirable traits.
Selectable markers are required in the genetic engineering pro- Even when field trials proceed, the Cartagena Protocol derived
cess to allow identification of cells which have incorporated the local regulations either publicise the location, and/or make them
new genetic material from which to grow, and then select useful very obvious by special, and expensive, security measures. As a
new gmo-plants. The European Union advises scientists and result of either or both, anti-gmo crop activists may destroy the
institutions generating genetically-engineered crops to avoid the field trials, as occurred in Philippines in August 2013 with
use of antibiotic selectable markers. They acknowledge that there Golden Rice.47 The hypocrisy of preventing data being gathered
is no scientific reason for this but they recognize public opinion by those who often claim that there is insufficient data gathered
may be less concerned about gmo crops if they do not contain concerning GMO-crops was clear to the scientific community,
such markers. However, historically there have been few alterna- who expressed outrage.48
tive selectable marker systems, and arguably such preferences Another adverse effect of the Cartagena Protocol is the suspi-
gives too much power to those that have the alternatives. cion engendered and increased bureaucracy involved with inter-
A major problem with both cost and severe delay implications is national shipment of gmo-seed between research collaborators _
the insistence in most parts of the world which are signatories to the “transboundary movement of living modified organisms.” Firstly
Cartagena Protocol that growing GMO-crops has to proceed the institution in the country interested in importing the seed has
through a sequence of controlled environments. First in glass houses to formally make a request to the institution in the exporting
with filtered air and water and access restricted to specific individu- country. This has to be considered by a committee, who have to
als, then in screen houses and finally contained field trials. In each agree, and then seek an export license. The importing country
case all plant parts have to be autoclaved or burned onsite after har- has to create an import license too, before shipment can occur.
vest. Only after the results show no environmental untoward effects This is in addition to any plant hygiene regulation procedures in
can regulatory clearance be given for commercial scale planting in place between many countries for international shipment of any
open fields. In one country where Golden Rice was first grown plant materials to prevent spread of plant diseases, and in addi-
from seed it was in an extremely expensive “Phytotron” facility with tion to any intellectual property licenses and material transfer
completely artificial environment in the growth chambers. agreements required to be put in place by the parties. In India,
The problem with all of this is that it is unnecessarily complex, more than a year’s delay occurred (and 30 politically inspired
and plants do not develop their natural phenotype until they are questions in the Indian Parliament) before the initial free Golden
grown in open fields with all the natural biotic and abiotic Rice license was signed, and a further year passed after their
stresses involved. Plant breeders are unable to use their skills request before Indian scientists received Golden Rice seed. As an
properly before the crop is grown in the open field. In these cir- added complication of the very few, and at this early stage of
cumstances researchers are forced to use genetic markers which research extremely costly to produce, Golden Rice seeds – less
may not be proper proxy for the trait of interest. Experience with than 10 of each transformation event–initially available to be
Golden Rice is that genetic markers alone are insufficient to opti- sent, India’s phytosanitary service wanted to test to destruction,
mally track the nutritional trait in breeding programmes. and also archive, a significant proportion of them.
Plant selection from any of the plant breeding processes, In the time of Normal Borlaug, the father of the 1960’s green
should be based on the phenotype exhibited in the open field, revolution and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, when Asia
e.g., as practiced for thousands of years. Plant breeding is a very requested seed from Mexico he mailed it in an envelope. Only
skilled and essential process, and the local regulations arising good came of such transport. And crop plants have been being
from Cartagena Protocol needlessly delays its application by moved around the world to new places for hundreds of years
years. As an example of the differences possible, the first open without ill effect.15

In 2001 the inventors of Golden Rice had completed a novel A for 6–8-y-old children and that bioconversion was better than
transaction. Professors Potrykus and Beyer licensed their technol- from spinach, and equivalent to beta-carotene in oil. Twenty-
ogy to Syngenta for commercial uses. In exchange Syngenta two days later, on August 30th 2012 Greenpeace issued a press
agreed to support the inventors’ humanitarian project, in several release condemning use of a GMO-crop, Golden Rice, with Chi-
ways, including technology improvements subsequently made by nese children as ‘guinea pigs of American researchers.’ Actually,
Syngenta scientists. The inventors, who are still closely involved Dr Tang, and several of the other clinicians involved in the
with the strategic management of their project, aim to make the research were born and or are resident in China. Dr Tang, with
Golden Rice technology a public good, free of any cost or license 25 years’ experience of similar research, and co-workers had pre-
fees, available only in public-sector rice germplasm, and devel- viously conducted similar research with Golden Rice in USA
oped only by public-sector institutions. There will be no charge with adults,53 and with children in China with other, non
for the nutritional trait within the seed to smallholder farmers GMO-crop sources of beta-carotene.54 Only Tang’s 2012
who sell locally (most rice is consumed close to where it is research with gmo Golden Rice was criticized by Greenpeace.
grown). No individual or organization involved with the devel- More than a decade earlier in 2001, Greenpeace had also
opment of Golden Rice will benefit financially from its adop- issued a Press Release in which it was claimed that Golden Rice
tion.5 At the same time, and with Syngenta’s assistance, initially could not be effective as an intervention against vitamin defi-
perceived as problematic intellectual property issues,49 for ciency as an adult would have to eat at least 12 times the normal
Golden Rice were easily resolved with the good will of intake of 300 grams (e.g. 3.6 kilograms) of rice to obtain the
collaborators.6,50 daily recommended amount of provitamin A. Clearly in 2012, in
The suspicions set up by the Cartagena Protocol provide the the light of Dr Tang results, Greenpeace were highly motivated
basis for strange influences even on legal systems. Can one believe to discredit her published results, but were unable to substantiate
in an impartial legal system when a higher court finds as follows in their 2012 allegations.
connection with the destruction of University field trials of a Nevertheless, prompted by public hysteria induced by those
GMO-crop Bt aubergine (D bt talong in the Philippines) by anti- allegations, the Chinese authorities investigated also, and found
gmo political activists including Greenpeace and MASIPAG: different irregularities. They were particularly dismayed by ini-
“Thus, it is evident and clear that bt talong is a technology tial denial of involvement in the research by some of the Chi-
involving the deliberate alteration of an otherwise natural state of nese clinicians who were very intimidated by Greenpeace’s
affairs. It is designed and intended to alter natural feed-feeder allegations, the public hysteria and had also been physical intim-
relationships of the eggplant. It is a deliberate genetic reconstruc- idated in the middle of the night at home by police seeking
tion of the eggplant to alter its natural order which is meant to confessions that they had cooked Golden Rice in their kitchens.
eliminate one feeder (the borer) in order to give undue advantage (In fact it was imported already cooked and frozen into China,
to another feeder (the humans). The genetic transformation is in full compliance with national and international law). As a
one designed to make bt talong toxic to its pests (the targeted result several of the clinicians were sanctioned by the Chinese
organisms). In effect, bt talong kills its targeted organisms. Con- authorities, who also accused Dr Tang of irregularities and pres-
sequently, the testing or introduction of bt talong into the Philip- sured her institution, Tufts University, to take investigatory
pines, by its nature and intent, is a grave and present danger to action.
(and an assault on) the Filipinos’ constitutional right to a bal- The Tufts investigation took a long time. Eventually they
anced ecology because, in any book and by any yardstick, it is an issued a statement:
ecologically imbalancing event or phenomenon. It is a wilful and
deliberate tampering of a naturally ordained feed-feeder relation- “ TUFTS UNIVERSITY STATEMENT
ship in our environment. It destroys the balance of our biodiver- September 17, 2013
sity. Because it violates the conjunct right of our people to a Tufts University has always been and remains deeply committed to
balanced ecology, the whole constitutional right of our people (as the highest ethical and scientific standards in research. When questions
legally and logically construed) is violated.”51 were raised about whether a study published in the /American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition/ adhered to requirements for human subjects
research, the Tufts Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Tufts Uni-
Are Scientific Institutions also Vulnerable to versity launched both internal and external reviews of the study activi-
Suspicion of Anti-GMO-Crop Bias? ties. The University also conducted a scientific review to determine
whether the journal manuscript accurately reported the study research
On August 8th 2012 the American Journal of Clinical Nutri- methods, measurements and findings. In undertaking these reviews, the
tion published online a paper by Tang et al.52 concerning IRB members and the external reviewers examined the study documen-
research involving Chinese children and the bioconversion of tation and interviewed a number of research team members.
beta carotene from a single serving of spinach, beta-carotene in These multiple reviews found no concerns related to the integrity
oil or Golden Rice. The field research had been completed in of the study data, the accuracy of the research results or the safety of
2008, 4 years previously. The data showed that a bowl of »100 the research subjects. In fact, the study indicated that a single serving
to 150 g cooked Golden Rice (50 g dry weight) can provide of the test product, Golden Rice, could provide greater than 50 per-
»60% of the Chinese Recommended Nutrient Intake of vitamin cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A in these children,

which could significantly improve health outcomes if adopted as a Ignored clear photographic evidence of group meetings
dietary regimen. with research subjects, parents and teachers concerning
While the study data were validated and no health or safety con- informed consent for the research reported. And when
cerns were identified, the research itself was found not to have been faced with this photographic evidence, then demanded a
conducted in full compliance with IRB policy or federal regulations. transcript of what was said in these long and open meetings
Reviews found insufficient evidence of appropriate reviews and (held in Chinese language of course).
approvals in China. They also identified concerns with the informed Following Dr Tang’s “temporary suspension of research
consent process, including inadequate explanation of the genetically- privileges at Tufts University until final corrective actions
modified nature of Golden Rice. The principal investigator also did are decided and ratified by the convened IRB,” then for-
not obtain IRB approval for some changes to study procedures before bade her from discussing her research at a European science
implementing the changes. conference concerning “Hidden Hunger,” in the view of
Tufts has taken substantive corrective and preventive actions to one US legal expert infringing her academic freedom and
address these findings. The principal investigator is unable to conduct also US First Amendment freedom of speech.
human subjects research for two years, during which time she will be Ignored an NIH letter of 2009 robustly rebutting criticisms
retrained on human subjects research regulations and policies. For of the same research, based on 2003 clearance by the
the two years following, she will be eligible to conduct human subjects Department of State, made by the ‘Keep Wales GM Free’
research as a co-investigator under the direct supervision of a princi- activist group in 2009.1
pal investigator. The IRB has also revised its policies and procedures Found her guilty of not following rules which were only
to ensure that in the future, research conducted outside the United introduced after the field research was completed.
States and/or in cultural contexts with which the IRB is not ade- Ignored differences in procedure between the US and
quately familiar is reviewed more carefully. We have notified all rele- China during the period of the research. And ignored the
vant agencies in the United States and China of our findings, and fact that both Tufts IRB and the Chinese authorities
the principal investigator has also notified the publishing journal. changed their regulations governing such research after the
We regret that deviations from certain approved protocols and investigation, thereby implying that former rules had not
standards occurred. Tufts has strengthened our policies and proce- been transgressed.
dures to prevent recurrence of such problems, and we remain com- Advised her to withdraw her application for promotion
mitted to conducting research of the highest quality, with rigorous during the investigation, with no explanation. And subse-
oversight.” quently withheld about 50% of her pay for 2 months,
None of Greenpeace’s nor the Chinese authorities’ different claiming ‘budget difficulties.’
criticisms of the research were upheld by Tufts IRB, who did not Made no reference in any of the official communications
visit China although all the allegations concerned conduct of the drafted by Tufts, in connection with communicating the
field portion of the research conducted in China. results of their investigation, of the fact that the initial
The detailed reasoning for, design and methods of conduct of criticisms of the research were raised by a political cam-
the research was agreed in advance with the Tufts IRB in a Proto- paigning group, Greenpeace.
col in 2003, and again in 2008. This included the detailed word- Found unacceptable a letter to the editor of the American
ing to be use in the Informed Consent Form to be used with Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) personally drafted
subjects. That the subjects were children and one of the materials and sent by Dr Tang explaining the results of Tufts investi-
was produced by genetic engineering was clearly taken into gation of her conduct, as she personally was obligated to do
account by the Principal Investigator and the Tufts IRB, and the by Tufts rules, and giving her comments on it. Tufts found
agreed Protocol also complied with all then current legislation the letter unacceptable and redrafted it. One Tufts official
and guidance concerning such research. In China, unlike in USA, forged the signatures of the American authors of the paper
Protocols once agreed did not require renewal if the research is on the Tufts redrafted form of the letter which purported
delayed. So the 2003 Protocol was used in China in 2008 when to be from all the authors to AJCN. However, Dr Tang
this research was conducted due to delays associated with produc- was the only author to have seen the Tufts version before it
ing the specific Golden Rice required by the sophisticated design. was sent, and Dr Tang only agreed that it be sent under
(Fungus and mites in 2 seasons consumed the small growth extreme duress.
chamber’s Golden Rice crop in southern USA.) (As a result of this Tufts drafted letter AJCN on several
The Tufts Institutional Review Board (IRB): occasions over an 8 month period from December 2013
requested that the authors of the paper voluntarily retract the
Claimed that the inability of Dr Tang to produce the com- paper, threatening, again several times, that otherwise the
pleted Informed Consent Form from China was indicatory journal would unilaterally retract the paper, for ‘ethical
of incomplete ethical clearances, despite the Tufts IRB breaches’ in conducting the research.)
approved Protocol stating that such records would be Criticized and emphasized (including in the Tufts Univer-
stored in China, and Tufts preventing Dr Tang from com- sity statement of 17 September 2013 reproduced above) as
municating with Chinese colleagues during the investiga- a significant ethical violation that Dr Tang had used pre-
tion to obtain the records. cisely the words agreed in the Tufts IRB approved Protocols

(“Golden Rice is a new rice which makes beta-carotene, The Cartagena Protocol Itself Poses a Greater
thus giving the rice a yellow (Golden) color”) to describe Risk to the Environment and Human Health
Golden Rice in the Informed Consent Letters (notarized than GMO-Crops
as translated accurately into Chinese language) with sub-
jects and their parents: “Golden Rice is a new rice which The premise on which the Cartagena Protocol is constructed
makes beta-carotene, thus giving the rice a yellow is false. There are no risks to the environment and human health
(Golden) color.” from biotechnology, including GMO-crops, any greater than
there have been from any crop breeding technology for the
The Tufts IRB approving the Protocol were well aware of the last 60, or 70 or 10,000 years. The Cartagena Protocol itself
fact that Golden Rice was genetically engineered: “Recently, sci- poses a greater risk to the environment and human health than
entists have genetically engineered “golden rice” that contains GMO-crops.
1.6 mg ß-C in a gram of dry rice” is a quote from the agreed It is clear that the Cartagena Protocol, as far as GMO-crops
Protocol. are concerned, is not fit for its CBD purpose. Through the CBD,
It is difficult, in the light of all these criticisms, especially the the Cartagena Protocol does not provide “a comprehensive and
last, to avoid the supposition that some individuals of the Tufts holistic approach to the conservation of biological diversity, the
University IRB, and/or their external advisory committee, in sustainable use of natural resources and the fair and equitable
2013 believed that by their nature genetically engineered crops sharing of benefits deriving from the use of genetic
such as Golden Rice are intrinsically dangerous. Such beliefs, resources.”13 Introduction
despite all scientific evidence to the contrary, would cause what In fact it does the opposite. It restricts scientific collabora-
would otherwise be viewed as minor issues as having serious ethi- tion and openness, it encourages monopolistic behavior and
cally questionable dimensions. it reinforces the arguments of a series of politically inspired
With such secretive organisations as Greenpeace – mem- fear mongers whose campaigning activities are at the expense,
bership lists are not published, and nor have been the names at the least, of anxiety among innocent members of society.
of the Tufts committees involved–and similar anti-gmo polit- It encourages extensification of agriculture, further decreasing
ical activist organisations, such apparent bias could be due to the wild lands available for biodiversity. It reduces the ability
members of the review boards sharing that organisations of agriculture to adapt to climate change, and it increases the
beliefs and objectives. dependency of the poor on established food production sys-
Even the suspicion of anti-science bias in an academic institu- tems, rather than allowing their own scientists to adapt their
tion is of deep concern especially as, as explained by the President own crops to local conditions for the basic right and dignity
of Tufts University: “IRBs are created by federal law as indepen- of self-sufficiency in food.
dent bodies that review, approve and oversee human subjects The Cartagena Protocol does not create “an enabling environ-
research. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ... The federal laws that create IRBs and ment for the environmentally sound application of biotechnology,
govern their procedures do not provide for appeal of final IRB making it possible to derive maximum benefit from the potential
findings. . .” that biotechnology has to offer, while minimising the possible risks
As a result of all the criticisms of Dr Tang and the profes- to the environment and human health.”13 Introduction
sional sanctions against her by Tufts she has closed her world The stifling of scientific progress it causes is also an insidious
class laboratory and retired after a quarter of a century during risk to the environment and human health. The United Nations
which she has become a global expert on carotenoids and must address the Cartagena Protocols inappropriateness for
worked assiduously to assist those who suffer from vitamin A GMO-crop plants in the light of decades of relevant scientific evi-
deficiency. She is a highly ethical person, and takes her dence. Its over-cautiousness is not warranted and several UN
responsibilities extremely seriously. (In 2009, she excluded goals have been negatively affected by it.
from a set illustrating the research, photos which included As but one example, Golden Rice could have been assist-
the Chinese children, to protect their identity pursuant to ing with reducing child mortality (Millennium Development
her Protocol obligations to maintain the confidentiality of the Goal #4) and maternal mortality (Millennium Development
individuals.) Goal #5) for years already if it had not been for the Carta-
As a result of the prolonged intransigence of the institutions to gena Protocol. Another related example: in 1992 at the UN’s
amend their positions Dr Tang has recently initiated legal pro- first Conference on Nutrition it was noted that supplementa-
ceedings against both AJCN and Tufts University. This has been tion (for example with the then controversial vitamin A cap-
made possible through financial support of a concerned philan- sules as an intervention for vitamin A deficiency) was only a
thropist. We must now await the outcome of legal process in con- temporary measure in addressing nutritional deficiencies, and
nection with this saga.55-57 It is a dark day when only those who that food based nutrition was to be preferred.58 Again
can afford legal representation have a chance of opposing appar- Golden Rice could be complementing other vitamin A defi-
ent prejudice against gmo crops, and which is so extreme it ciency interventions, and probably saving lives and sight
defames serious clinical researchers. Without the philanthropists already if research and development had not been slowed
financial support it is clear that there would be no chance of down by the ramifications of and suspicions due to the UN’s
justice. Cartagena Protocol.

“If the river is too high, raise the bridge” which does not concentrate on the technology used to produce a
The Cartagena Protocol was produced by the UN 30 years crop, but what the crop is, and what its properties are.
after the concerns based on lack of experience of recombinant Canada, the USA and UK have all withdrawn some or all of
DNA technology applied to crop plants discussed in the 1970’s, the “charitable” tax free status of Greenpeace as they are a polit-
and without any reflection of the experience and knowledge ical campaigning group. And India has recently banned foreign
gained in the intervening 3 decades. Even though the Cartagena funding of local campaign groups, including Greenpeace, as
Protocol only came into effect in 2003, the suspicion the Proto- they are a “significant threat to national economic security.”31
col has bred has been promulgated for the whole of the decade To further reduce the emotional agitation of populations and
and a half since its publication in 2000. It is unwise to expect any trade caused by those political lobbying groups which leverage
rapid relaxation, let alone cessation of its unfortunate grip soon. the suspicion caused as a result of the misplaced concerns of the
Those most likely to have impact on cessation are those with CBD and Cartagena Protocol, governments should do 2 things.
vested self-interests in maintaining the status quo. Stop direct funding support of the activists lobbying activities,
What can be achieved, in the meantime, to attempt to miti- please European countries take note:60,61 “The European Com-
gate the risks which the Cartagena Protocol represents? mission website reveals that a staggering 150 million euros
Firstly, nations should not appoint ministers responsible only (£119 million)[US$201m] was paid to the top 9 green NGOs
for “The Environment.” Countries could usefully follow the from 2007–13.62 And secondly, cease the charitable, tax exempt
example of the UK where the relevant Government department treatment of the activists – which is actually indirect support
is called “The Department for Environment, Food and Rural with taxpayers money, which many taxpayers would not agree
Affairs.” This encourages a holistic perspective balancing relevant to if they reflected on it.63
factors: “The environment” does not exist in a vacuum.
Secondly, as the Cartagena Protocol relates to the
“transboundary movement of any living modified organism result- Conclusion
ing from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effect on
the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity” coun- Sixty-one years since Watson and Crick described DNA in the
tries which are neighbors, or share an agro-ecological zone may journal Nature is but a glimpse of time in the 10,000 years dur-
wish, between themselves, as is their sovereign right recognized by ing which man has been applying human intellect to improving
the Convention on Biological Diversity, to define the relevant crop production by selecting genetically different variants. Yet
boundary for the purposes of the Cartagena Protocol as the edges more has happened in biology in that time than in all the decades
of that zone, rather than national boundaries. This would allow preceding it.
for much easier research collaboration between them. They could Principle 1 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and
also perhaps decide in the light of the copious evidence available Development states “Human beings are at the centre of concerns
since the Cartagena Protocol was drafted, that there actually is no for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and
evidence “of any adverse effect on the conservation and sustainable productive life in harmony with nature."11
use of biological diversity” from GMO-crops and so the Conven- It is sad that current global society has to incur the pain, envi-
tion does not apply to them. ronmental damage and death due to delays to advancement in
Thirdly, countries may, between themselves, want to redefine agricultural science. All caused by the regulations, developed
modern biotechnology so that every crop developed since the by national governments which are signatories to the UN’s Con-
1940’s is included, or perhaps exclude all crops utilizing biotech- vention on Biodiversity and its Cartagena Protocol. The
nology which is no longer considered “modern” because its pro- ideas and concerns upon which the Cartagena Protocol is based
cesses have been extensively used for crops cultivated already on were initially debated 50 years ago, and by now have been
millions of acres. Either interpretation would have the impact of proved to have no merit. Nevertheless, apart from the direct
reducing the stifling bureaucracy applied to GMO-crops. costs, they feed suspicion of a useful and benign crop breeding
It appears that some European politicians are considering development.
redefining ‘modern biotech crop,’ around transgenic GMO- With respect to Golden Rice the costs of opposition to GMO-
crops, so as not to have to address the political mess they have crops in India alone have been calculated at $200m per year for
got themselves into. It should be noted however that the Carta- the past decade.64 Globally in 2010 vitamin A deficiency killed
gena Protocol applies to all crops of “modern biotechnology” more children than either HIV/Aids, or TB or malaria5 – some-
(not just transgenics) and, according to an advisory committee to where around 2 million preventable deaths in that one year alone.
the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and That is 6000 preventable deaths, mostly of young children, every
Rural Affairs, the European regulatory system is fit for purpose single day. Although Golden Rice is a startling example of the
for neither classification.59 So any redefinition of ‘modern bio- costs of delays in GMO-crop development, many other differ-
tech crop’ will not be helpful in this context. ently useful crop traits which can benefit the environment and
Of course it would assist the speed of cancellation of the Car- human health are also dangerously delayed.
tagena Protocol if country Parties started to formally withdraw The logical #1 agenda item for the next Meeting of the Parties
from it. In place it would be sensible for them to apply, for exam- to the Cartagena Protocol in Korea during late September and
ple, the regulatory system used by Canada for modern crops, October 2014,65 and all subsequent meetings until such action,

is to agree that the Cartagena Protocol is cancelled for crops pro- human subject safety. Furthermore, while the approval of U.S.
duced using modern biotechnology. And subsequently to dis- Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of
mantle the web of related “industry” – biosafety research, Agriculture was not required to conduct the study, project inves-
government committees, unnecessary international meetings, tigators welcomed and received advice and counsel on safety,
data dossiers etc etc. All these systems should migrate back to the nutritional, and regulatory issues from both agencies.
systems used for the approval of all other crop varieties, to release Dr. Tang’s detailed application for NIH funding was also evalu-
the real skills of agricultural and nutritional research and seed ated in a two-step peer review process required by law to ensure
breeding, to release the full potential of a modern understanding high scientific standards among funded projects. The application
of plant genetics for the benefit of humans and the environment. was first peer-reviewed by the Nutrition Study Section in the
The United Nations has a huge and pressing responsibility to NIH Center for Scientific Review and approved with high enthu-
address the impediments it has put in the way of GMO-crops, siasm. NIDDK’s Advisory Council, whose members are non-
though the Cartagena Protocol of “reconcil[ing] the respective government scientific experts and public representatives, then
needs of trade and environmental protection with respect to a conducted a second review of the project and approved it for
rapidly growing industry, the biotechnology industry,"13 and funding.
through all its agencies, including WHO, UNICEF and FAO, The proposed project was then sent by NIH’s Fogarty Interna-
take a more robust, scientifically– and religiously66,67–supported tional Center to the Department of State for secondary review to
policy stance on GMO-crops, despite the remaining suspicions identify any potentially negative foreign policy implications,
of many, often not scientifically trained, individual staff members including human safety concerns. The Department of State
of those organisations. cleared the proposed research on January 16, 2003.
Throughout the entire project, NIDDK scientists reviewed
required progress reports from Dr. Tang. Under an NIH-
Note approved Data Safety Monitoring Plan, an independent, institu-
1. On 30 Apr 2009, at 14.37, NIDDK Inquires (NIH/NIDDK) tional safety officer monitored interim study data for any poten-
wrote: tial problems and reviewed participants’ translated, informed
Dear Dr. John: consent statements.
Thank you for writing to Dr. Raynard S. Kington, acting director Lastly, while some research indicates that genetically modified
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), concerning your for- foods show promise for correcting or preventing nutritional
mal protest of the use of golden rice in an NIH-supported proj- deficiencies, further research is needed on the availability of vita-
ect, Retinol Equivalence of Plant Carotenoids in Children, led min A in different plant foods, including genetically modified
by Dr. Guangwen Tang, at Tufts University in Boston. Your e- foods such as golden rice. It should also be noted that Dr.
mail was forwarded to my office for reply. Tang’s project focused not only on golden rice, but also on
As mentioned in our previous communication, while vitamin A other food sources of vitamin A, including spinach and pure
deficiency is a rather rare condition in the United States., it is a Beta-carotene (B-C) in oil.
significant problem in China and in much of the developing Evidence-based peer-reviewed information about genetically
world. Because vitamin A deficiency can lead to serious problems modified foods is available at: http://www.nature.com/nbt/
such as blindness and death, clinical research such as Dr. Tang’s journal/v23/n4/abs/nbt1082.html.
is important to further define the functions of vitamin A and its Consumer-based information about genetically modified foods is
metabolites and to identify the levels required to improve health available at: www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/sep02/rice0902.pdf
and alleviate disease. We hope this information is helpful.
The collaborative project Dr. Tang led was designed by Chinese Leslie Curtis
and U.S. investigators to alleviate vitamin A deficiency in chil- US Department of Health and Human Services
dren. Many safeguards were built-in to ensure that the study was National Institutes of Health
carefully planned and monitored to protect the children who par- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
ticipated. The application was first reviewed and approved by Office of Communications and Public Liaison
Institutional Review Boards (IRB) at both Tufts University and
the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. Ensuring that ade-
quate safeguards were in place for children who would be Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest
involved in the project, the reviews from both IRBs included No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
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RESEARCH PAPER

The politics of Golden Rice

Introduction Golden Rice contained 3 genes of interest introduced from other

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