The Associated Press. 

June 26, 2001, Tuesday, BC cycle 

'Golden rice' remains years from reality in agriculture 

By PAUL ELIAS, AP Biotech Writer 

SAN DIEGO - The world's largest biotech conference opened Monday with a
debate over a genetically modified rice that supporters see as a potential
staple for the world's hungry but critics, including a handful of
protesters outside the meeting, contend is science run amok. 

"Golden rice" is engineered to produce vitamin A in the hope that
developing nations can use it to stave off malnutrition. It has not yet
been planted outside of greenhouses, but supporters say its time is nearing. 

"We could not have come up with a better example of what biotechnology is
all about," said Mike Phillips, spokesman for the Biotechnology Industry
Organization. "It's a wonderful story of the public and private sectors
have come together." 

Critics call it "Frankenfood." They view genetically modified foods as
potential health hazards, and argue that not enough research has been done
to determine whether they are really safe. 

The dispute is an intense one. On Sunday, up to 1,000 people staged a
largely peaceful demonstration to complain that businesses are introducing
genetically modified crops and seeds into the food supply without knowing
the long-term consequences. 

Outside the convention center Monday, no more than 50 protesters showed up
and they were often outnumbered by police. In nearby Mira Mesa, two people
were arrested at a Burger King restaurant after standing on the counter and
making speeches. 

Traditional rice lacks vitamin A, and tens of thousands of children die
each year because of vitamin A deficiencies. Another 500,000 go blind. 

Biotechnology researchers say genetic engineering is the only practical way
to fortify the rice. 

"It was clear from the beginning that biotech was needed instead of typical
crop breeding," said Swiss plant cell professor Peter Beyer, one of the two
inventors of golden rice. "No rice anywhere has vitamin A." 

The rice is infused with two daffodil genes and a bacteria gene to add
vitamin A. Beyer and co-inventor Ingo Potrykus also are working on
genetically fortifying the rice with iron and vitamin E. 

Opponents say no plants should be genetically changed to include elements
of other organisms, and particularly not rice. Once the plants are released
into the environment, cross-pollination with traditional rice could have
unpredictable long-term impacts on the food billions of people eat every day. 

"The purported benefits of golden rice are completely fabricated," said
Brian Tokar, a member of Biojustice, a group opposed to genetic engineering. 

Tokar dismissed the golden rice project as merely a public relations ploy
to improve biotech's media image. 

"The way to cure blindness and hunger should not come from big
agribusiness," he said. 

Beyer and others said years of work must be done before subsistence farmers
will be able to use golden rice on a wide scale. The rice now can only grow
in temperate climates, not tropical climates like Asia's. 

"Golden rice is still in the developmental stages and a lot of work is
still needed to get into the fields," said Sivramiah Shantharam, a
spokesman for Syngenta, which owns the commercial rights to the rice. 

Critics argue that even vitamin-fortified rice will come nowhere close to
easing the world's hunger pains.