First GMO rice to be launched in Philippines in 2016

AFP News – Tue, Nov 5, 2013

Terraced rice paddies in the town of Banaue,
Ifugao province, in northern Luzon, …

The first genetically-modified rice to be commercially available could be approved for production in the Philippines in two to three years, researchers said Tuesday, despite strong opposition from environmental groups.

Officers of both the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine government's agriculture department said the newly-developed "golden rice" had completed field trials, despite vandalism at one test field.

"Golden rice is coming. That is in the pipeline and a lot of the principal development and research has been completed," said Achim Dobermann, deputy director-general of IRRI.

"At the moment, there is no GM (genetically-modified) rice officially released in any country," he stressed.

He said China was working on a pest-resistant variety of GM rice, but it was unknown when they would release it commercially.

Dobermann said that depending on the length of the approval process, it could take a minimum of "two to three years" before seeds are ready to be distributed to farmers.

Field trials of the rice, a genetically-modified organism (GMO), have been completed in the Philippines and it is now set to undergo tests to determine if it is safe to consume and propagate, said Antonio Alfonso, coordinator of the Agriculture Department's biotechnology programme.

This is despite an attack by activists on a test field in the Philippines in August that destroyed the golden rice planted there.

Alfonso said it was only one of several golden rice fields, and they were able to complete their tests.

Golden rice has been genetically modified to produce vitamin A, which is lacking in the diets of many people in developing countries, leading to weakened immune systems and blindness, and often resulting in death, IRRI said.

However many environmental groups oppose GMOs, saying they will have harmful side effects which will irreversibly spread even to non-GMO crops.

The Southeast Asia office of environmental group Greenpeace condemned the efforts to promote golden rice.

"There are already existing solutions and programmes being implemented by the Philippine government to address vitamin A deficiency in the country and these have been in place and are continuing to be effective," Greenpeace campaigner Daniel Ocampo said in a statement.

Dobermann said many of the alternatives are too expensive or impractical for poor people, who often eat mostly rice.

Greenpeace previously obtained a court ruling to suspend field trials of GMO eggplant in the Philippines.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/first-gmo-rice-launched-philippines-2016-113148764.html

New Genetically Modified Rice With Human Genes…Frankenrice

Danica Collins

Human Genes in Your Rice? Just Say No!

More bad news from the disturbing field of genetically modified (GM) foods: It’s called “Frankenrice”—a genetically modified rice product that is tainted with actual human genes.

Rice is the most widely cultivated crop in the world, yet, most people have never heard of rice with human genes (which sounds more like science fiction than news!).

But since about 2006, “Frankenrice” has been produced and genetically modified with genes from the human liver by the biotechnology company Ventria Bioscience. Ventria is said to grow their genetically modified rice on 3,200 acres in Junction City, Kansas (and perhaps other locations, as well).

Perhaps you’re wondering why any company would want to cultivate rice with genetically modified human genes? The reason is as sad as it is predictable: potential pharmaceutical profit.

The plan is that artificial proteins produced by this Frankenrice can be utilized in pharmaceuticals. The stated plan is that the pharmaceuticals developed from Frankenrice could help third-world children overcome chronic diarrhea.

However, as with all GM crops, this comes at a serious potential cost to public health.

Infections, Allergies, and Immune Reactions

“These genetically engineered drugs could exacerbate certain infections, or cause dangerous allergic or immune system reactions,” said Bill Freese, Science Policy Analyst at the Center for Food Safety (CFS), who published a report back in 2007 about the dangers of Ventria’s GM rice.

And Jane Rissler from the Union of Concerned Scientists told the Washington Post in 2007 that, “This is not a product that everyone would want to consume. It is unwise to produce drugs in plants outdoors.”

Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to approve Ventria’s GM rice in 2003. Unfortunately, the USDA was far less cautious, ignoring thousands of letters from concerned citizens and scientific experts and approving open cultivation of Ventria’s genetically modified rice in 2007.

Boycott Threats

Until the 2007 USDA approval, genetically modified rice was cultivated only in laboratory settings. But then Ventria moved the rice outside, first targeting Missouri as a growing location. However, Anheuser-Busch and other companies threatened to boycott all rice from Missouri if Ventria started planting their genetically modified rice there.

So Ventria set its sights on Kansas, instead, where they’re presumably still growing their genetically modified rice today.

Is the Rice on Your Plate Frankenrice?

The only way to answer a definitive no is if it’s organic and tested negative for GM traits.

There’s little protection in the fact that to date, no GM rice with added human traits has been approved for human consumption. That’s because the fact is that since Frankenrice is being cultivated in open fields, the spread of its disturbing, health-endangering GM traits is practically guaranteed.

http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/genetically-modified-rice

Study Confirms Dangers of GMO Foods

- No article Date -

Genetically modified organisms.

Even if you didn’t know what this term meant, you’d probably still agree it sounds pretty scary, right?

Well, what’s even scarier is that many of our food staples now fall under the notorious category of genetically modified organisms—or GMO. Even scarier yet, new research is starting to show just how dangerous genetically modified foods can be, and why you should avoid them at all costs.

But before getting into the dangers of GMO, let’s explain how a food is genetically engineered, and why we would even consider modifying it in the first place.

What Are GMOs?

GMOs are a result of genetic engineering, during which certain “favorable” traits of one organism are inserted into another organism’s genes—permanently altering the second organism’s DNA, supposedly for the better. An example of this would be manipulating the DNA of a crop like corn so that it has a built-in pesticide or herbicide component.

This is just one example of how crops are genetically modified. And, in theory, it sounds like a great idea. Less crop loss due to pests equals more crop yields. More crops mean lower cost and fewer people going hungry. So where’s the harm?

Well, consider this: According to Greenpeace, once planted, GMOs are uncontrollable and cannot be “taken back.” This means they can spread and easily contaminate non-GMO populations.¹

Furthermore, GMOs are threatening small organic farmers’ livelihoods. Since GMOs are patented by giant agricultural corporations, these conglomerates are known to sue family farmers for alleged patent violations, should they come to “possess” GMO technology as a result of completely uncontrollable contamination.

So what’s a small farmer to do if sued by a multi-billion dollar agricultural bully?

Many just quit farming altogether, leaving us with fewer and fewer organic/family-owned farms.

The most disturbing point to make about GMOs is that very little research has been conducted on their long-term safety in animals, much less humans. That is, until recently. A recent study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences showed just how harmful the consumption of GM food is to rats, with the implication that human health could be put in great danger as well by the intake of GM foods.²

In this study, three different rat feedings using genetically modified maize (corn) were conducted at two different labs, on two different occasions.

The rats were randomly divided by body weight and fed three different commercially available, genetically modified corn varieties. One type (NK 603) was modified to be tolerant to the herbicide Roundup (and therefore contained trace levels of this chemical). The other two types (MON 810 and MON 863) were altered to synthesize two different Bacillus thuringiensis toxins used as insecticides. There were also two comparative control groups fed similar quantity diets of non-GM corn.

Researchers measured 60 different measures of toxicity in the rats’ blood and urine after weeks five and 14.

After evaluating results, they found that the most damage appeared to be in the kidneys and livers of the rats, often in the form of tumors. The rats fed the NK 603 maize showed significant damage to their kidneys and livers, particularly in the males. Those fed the MON 810 also experienced significant harm to their kidneys and livers, but this time mainly in the females. These effects were generally detected after 14 weeks of consumption.

As for the MON 863 maize, researchers witnessed an incredible 34 significant GM-related effects in the kidneys and liver, this time equally among the males and females. Other statistically significant effects included increases in glucose and triglyceride levels (up to 40 percent) in females versus controls, and higher overall body weight (3.7 percent).

In addition to liver and kidney damage, all three GM feed groups where found to have problems with the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system (which is involved in the production of blood). Most shockingly, 50 percent of males and 70 percent of females died prematurely, compared to 30 percent and 20 percent, respectively, in the controls.

The researchers’ written conclusion says it all: “Our data strongly suggests that these GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal [kidney/liver] toxicity. This can be due to the new pesticides (herbicide or insecticide) present specifically in each type of GM maize, although unintended metabolic effects due to the mutagenic properties of the GM transformation process cannot be excluded.”

NO to GMO

This study highlights exactly why altering the genetic composition of food in any way can lead to catastrophic consequences. In 20 or 30 years, we may start to see just how much of an impact GM foods have on human health. But, for now, most people remain completely unaware of the potential dangers lurking in their food.

The easy answer is to avoid GM food. But when you think about exactly how many food products contain the GM ingredient—the top GM foods being corn, soybeans, rice, papaya and sugar beets—you start to realize just how daunting of a task this can be.

First and foremost, you can choose organic produce over conventionally grown varieties. Next, reduce or eliminate the processed foods you buy.

When you do buy processed items, you have to read the labels. If any of the ingredients are not listed as organic, than you can assume they are GM.

Of course, reading labels does not guarantee that you’ll know for sure that every single ingredient in the food item is non-GM, mainly because manufacturers are not required to list every single ingredient used during manufacture.³ The whole process really is an uphill battle, but taking these steps can at least ensure that most of what you eat is relatively safe. Online databases of organic manufacturers exist online to help you out, too.

Genetically modified foods seem to be here to stay—and will likely only get more plentiful. Now more than ever, you have to take total control of your food choices to protect yourself and your family. We urge you to do your homework and say “NO” to GMO—now and in the future.

References:

1. Greenpeace. www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/What-we-do/Genetic-Engineering/What-are-GMOs/.
2. De Vendomois JS, et al. Int J Biol Sci. 2009 Dec 10;5(7):706-26.
3. www.safe-food.org/-consumer/shop.html.

Source: Study Confirms Dangers of GMO Foods

GM rice test not approved in China ...

GM rice test on Chinese children was not approved: authorities

• Xinhua
• 2012-09-07
• 15:18 (GMT+8)



Students eat their school lunch at an elementary school in Heilongjiang. (File photo/Xinhua)

 

Two Chinese provinces involved in a controversial human experiment of genetically modified rice said the time and location of the test was not approved.

Authorities are investigating whether dozens of children in central China's Hunan province were used as test subjects in a US-China joint research project in 2008 that included GM food Golden Rice.

A senior official with the Hunan provincial health department maintained that any human experiments of GM food in Hunan should get approval from the provincial health and agriculture authorities. But the joint experiment did not.

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in an earlier statement said the experiment of GM rice on local children was approved by the Zhejiang Provincial Academy of Medical Sciences' ethical board.

But the Zhejiang institute said the experiment, approved in 2003, did not take place during the "approved" time range between March 1, 2004 and Feb. 28, 2005, the institute's deputy head Ni Ya told Xinhua.

The institute's ethical board demanded that the human test subjects be fully notified and give their consent before the experiment could take place, Ni added. It is still being investigated whether parents of the children were notified of the GM rice experiment.

Ni said the application was filed by the institute's researcher Wang Yin, who participated in the Tufts University-led research, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the US.

Environmental activist group Greenpeace broke the news on the controversial test in late August, saying that the joint research involved feeding Golden Rice, genetically modified to be rich in beta carotene, to 24 children aged between six and eight years old in Hunan in 2008. It cited a paper published in the August edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The paper claimed that Golden Rice is effective in providing vitamin A to children. Its lead author Tang Guangwen, director of the Carotenoids and Health Laboratory of Tufts University, insisted that the study had been conducted with all regulatory approvals required by each country.

The Hunan health official said there was one approved experiment — led by China CDC with the participation of the Zhejiang Provincial Academy of Medical Sciences and the Hunan CDC, but it did not involve GM rice.

The China CDC said its research focused on the transformation of beta carotene in vegetables to vitamin A in children's bodies. Its fellow researcher Yin Shi'an combined the experiment with Tufts University's research because "both covered studies on beta carotene in spinach." China CDC's statement said its researcher was not informed at the time that the American side had used GM rice in the experiment.

Yin was the third author in the US-published paper. Hu Yuming with the Hunan CDC, the second author, had earlier denied acknowledgement of any involvement in the GM rice experiment, according to media reports.

The China CDC said parents of the children participating in the institute's research that did not involve GM food had signed the letter of consent.

GM food is controversial as there is still no scientific consensus on whether or not it is harmful to the human body. According to the Greenpeace website, it is simply not known whether genetically engineered crops are safe for human or animal consumption. Independent scientific studies on the matter are severely lacking, it said.

"Children and infants are particularly sensitive to any possible health effects of genetically engineered rice," it added.

The Chinese government introduced a regulation in 2001 to ensure the safety of GM food, with strict provisions for researching, testing, producing and marketing such products. According to the regulation, parties conducting GM agricultural experiments should have certain qualifications and form a panel to be in charge of the safety of the experiments.

It also provides that any China-foreign GM agricultural experiment should be approved by the government's agricultural departments.

The China CDC said the investigation is yet to be concluded.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?