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I spoke with John Batchelor most recently about Golden Rice, a groundbreaking genetically engineered crop created by German scientists in the 1980s and ’90s, and hailed as a miraculous solution to vitamin A deficiency, which plagues millions worldwide. The prospect of a single crop staving off malnutrition and saving countless lives was nothing short of stunning. Golden Rice is a genetically engineered crop fortified with beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A, designed to prevent vitamin A deficiency, which causes blindness and death in hundreds of thousands of children annually in countries where rice is the primary source of calories.
Despite its effectiveness and the potential to have an impact on public health comparable to that of the Salk polio vaccine, Golden Rice has faced over 20 years of opposition from activist groups like Greenpeace, who have successfully stalled its commercialization, particularly in the Philippines. As I discussed, Greenpeace’s opposition was rooted in a cynical, baseless and misguided broader resistance to genetic engineering of crops, despite the clear life-saving benefits of Golden Rice and decades of safe use of such crops.
You can hear our entire conversation
Looking for a deeper dive?
Greenpeace's Cruel War on Genetically Engineered Crops Grinds On
Activism Imperils Potential of Golden Rice
Greenpeace’s Vile War on the Poor and Vulnerable
GMO Drama: Philippines Approves Golden Rice, Greenpeace Demands Poor Children Go Blind Anyway