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Golden RiceFighting vitamin A deficiency in the Philippines and Bangladesh

Dr. Gerard BarryGolden Rice Network Coordinator

International Rice Research Institute

Leveraging Agriculture to Improve Human Nutrition: Prospects for Golden Rice

14 April 2011

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The need

• Globally, approximately 670,000 children die every year because they are vitamin A–deficient.1

• Another 350,000 children go blind.2

• More than 90 million children in Southeast Asia suffer from vitamin A deficiency, more than in any other region.3

1. Black RE et al. 2008. Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequences. The Lancet 371 (9608):253.

2. Whitcher JP, Srinivasan M, Upadhyay MP. 2001. Corneal blindness: a global perspective. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 79(3):214.

3. WHO Global Database on Vitamin A Deficiency. 2009. Global Prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in populations at risk, 1995-2005. Geneva: WHO.

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The need

In the Philippines• 4 out of 10 (40.1%) children aged 6 months to 5 years are

estimated to be vitamin A-deficient• Subclinical vitamin A deficiency affects 17.5% of

pregnant womenIn Bangladesh• 1 out of 5 (21.7%) pre-school children are estimated to be

vitamin A-deficient• Among pregnant women, 23.7% are affected by vitamin

A deficiency

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Reducing Vitamin A Deficiency

• Dietary Diversification • Vitamin A Capsule Supplementation • Large-scale Fortification• Biofortification

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The need

Vitamin A deficiency continues to adversely affect many people, especially the last 10-20% in the hardest-to-reach areas.

In many developing countries, effective programs are not in place to reach all people in need adequately and consistently.

The most vulnerable children and women are often missed.

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Golden Rice

Golden Rice is unique because it contains beta carotene, which gives it a golden color.

Daily consumption of a very modest amount of Golden Rice –about a cup (around 150g uncooked weight) – could supply 50% of the RDA of vitamin A for an adult.1

Because rice is widely produced and consumed, Golden Rice has the potential to reach many people.

Golden Rice is intended to be used in combination with existing approaches to overcome vitamin A deficiency.

1. Tang G, Qin J, Dolnikowski GG, Russel RM, Grusak MA. 2009. Golden Rice is an effective source of vitamin A. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 89:1776-83.

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Leading nutrition and agricultural research organizations are working together to further develop and evaluate Golden Rice as a potential tool to reduce vitamin A deficiency in the Philippines and Bangladesh.

Our project

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Partners

• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) • Helen Keller International (HKI) • Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)• Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI)

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Our work

• Establish the safety of Golden Rice.

• Evaluate whether consumption of Golden Rice improves vitamin A status.

• Ensure that Golden Rice will reach those most in need.

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Establishing safety

• Field tests in the Philippines and Bangladesh• Biosafety data reviewed under internationally accepted

guidelines for food, feed and environmental safety• Safety information submitted to government regulators

as early as– 2013 in the Philippines by PhilRice– 2015 in Bangladesh by BRRI

• Regulators will complete their approval processes for Golden Rice before nutritional efficacy studies or release to farmers

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PhilRice confined field test

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Nutritional Efficacy

Does daily consumption of Golden Rice improve the vitamin A status of adults? • This study will begin only after biosafety is confirmed• Double blind prospective clinical bio-efficacy trial

• Among vitamin A-deficient adults in the Philippines• Comparing the efficacy of daily consumption of Golden Rice,

white rice, and vitamin A supplements for 90 days• Led by HKI with U California Davis and local partners

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Reaching those in need

• Design and test a delivery program to ensure that Golden Rice can reach farmers and consumers in a sustainable manner in the Philippines and Bangladesh.

• Golden Rice will be released by PhilRice and BRRI in rice varieties that are already popular with local farmers.

• Golden Rice seeds are expected to cost farmers the same as other rice varieties.

• Cooking and taste tests will be done to help make sure these qualities of Golden Rice meet consumers’ needs.

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Looking ahead

The partners will continue to work to ensure that Golden Rice reaches those most in need in the Philippines and Bangladesh

Lessons from the Philippines and Bangladesh will be important in designing plans for Golden Rice in other countries.

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“Since a large proportion of vitamin A–deficient children and their mothers reside in rice-consuming populations, particularly in Asia, Golden Rice should substantially reduce the prevalence and severity of vitamin A deficiency, and prevent at least hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths and cases of blindness every year.”

- Dr. Alfred SommerProfessor and Dean Emeritus

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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Financial support

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation• Rockefeller Foundation• U.S. Agency for International Development

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Thank you!