GR2E Golden Rice, a genetically engineered rice that is nutritionally enhanced to produce beta-carotene (hence its name), got its third positive food safety assessment last month. US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) agrees with the IRRI (International Rice Research) on product safety and nutrition assessment. US FDA statement follows the safety and nutrition approvals already obtained in 2018 by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Health Canada who develop their assessments based on their own concepts of bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

GR2E rice is useful for those suffering from vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a pervasive public health problem worldwide. According to the WHO, in addition to the approximately 250 million preschool children, a considerable number of pregnant and lactating women also suffer of VAD. South and south-eastern Asia are the regions with the highest prevalence of VAD.

Golden Rice, the first nutritionally enhanced genetically modified rice to receive regulatory approval as a food product, manages to provide 30-50% of the estimated average vitamin A requirement in women and children.

Source: International Rice Research Institute - IRRI