Doesn’t GM boost nutritional value?

Let's take the most hyped up crop to support this argument – the Golden Rice, a name it acquired thanks to its yellow color. It is quite another matter that the Golden Rice was engineered to make beta-carotene – a precursor to Vitamin A and the yellow color of the rice was just another GM error. An US TV commercial for the product claimed that it can ‘help prevent blindness and infection in millions of children' suffering from Vitamin A deficiency. True, but with a slight catch (as it is normally the case with GM food).

According to a Greenpeace report, golden rice provides so little Vitamin A, ‘a 2-year old child would need to eat 7 pounds per day'. Likewise an adult would need to eat 20 pounds to get the daily recommended dose. And that's just the tip of the ice-berg. Nutrients such as fat and protein, often lacking in the diets of malnourished children, are needed in order to absorb Vitamin A. And wait a minute, aren't there any safer alternatives to the Golden Rice? There are.

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