What is Golden Rice?

Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta-carotene (provitamin A), which is converted into vitamin A as needed by the body and gives the grain its golden color. It is developed through genetic engineering and produces two new enzymes that complete the beta-carotene expression in the rice grain.

Golden Rice can be grown just like ordinary rice and varieties containing the GR2E Golden Rice trait have the same yield and agronomic performance as their conventional counterparts. The beta-carotene produced in Golden Rice grains is identical to the beta-carotene in green leafy and many types of yellow-colored vegetables and orange-colored fruit, and identical to synthetic beta-carotene found in many vitamin supplements and food ingredients.

Golden Rice is intended to complement current strategies in the fight against vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and is intended to supply up to 30–50 percent of the estimated average requirement for vitamin A for preschool age children and pregnant or lactating mothers.