GMO Golden Rice Offers No Nutritional Benefits Says FDA

From the actual release by the FDA

Based on the safety and nutritional assessment IRRI has conducted, it is our understanding the IRRI concludes that human and animal food from GR2E rice is not materially different in composition, safety, or other relevant parameters from rice-derived food currently on the market except for the intended B-carotene change in GR2E rice.

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In considering the safety of increased levels of B-carotene in human food, IRRI discussed the current dietary sources of B-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids; dietary intakes by consumers in the United States from different sources, and the potential dietary exposure from consumption of GR2E rice. Assuming 100 percent of rice consumed in the United States is replaced with GR2E rice, IRRI used current dietary rice intake (11.8 kg per capita annually) and the highest value of B-carotene measured in samples of milled GR2E rice (7.31ug/gDW)to estimate the potential dietary exposure to B-carotene. IRRI estimated the potential dietary exposure to B-carotene from GR2E rice to be approximately 0.24 mg/day; this translates to approximately one tenth the current daily B-carotene consumption in the adult population, from all other food sources. IRRI acknowledged that it expects the actual dietary intakes to be lower given (1) that it is unlikely that all rice in the diet would be substituted with GR2E rice and (2) that B-carotene levels in food containing GR2E rice would decline over time due to storage, processing, and cooking.

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Although the levels of B-carotene in GR2E rice are too low to warrant a nutrient content claim,B-carotene in the endosperm of GR2E rice results in grain that is yellow-golden in color. We note that the name “Golden Rice” has been used by IRRI and other B-carotene-expressing rice varieties under development.

https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GEPlants/Submissions/ucm608797.pdf

https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GEPlants/Submissions/ucm607450.pdf

The title is somewhat hyberbole, this specific breed of golden rice is about as nutritious as regular Oryza sativa rice, however the Syngenta strain produces 37 ug/g

Summary - FDA has found that this GMO Golden Rice's level of betacarotene, which it is specifically engineered to produce levels enough to overcome deficiencies in diet in poor, third world countries, is too small to provide any health benefits whatsoever. They found that the storgae of the rice for 3 wweks, left only 30% of the extra betacarotene, and after 10 weeks, only 13% remained. A person would have to consume 3.75kg (Just over 8 lbs) a day of this rice to start seeing a benefit. Finally, the safety of this rice has been called into question, as the only safety test assumed consumption at the average AMERICAN amount of rice per year of 11.5kg (25 lbs) whereas the average Filipino eats over 110kg per year (242 lbs).

tl;dr - The rice gives no extra nutritional benefit, and the safety of eating it was only tested at 10% the normal consumption rate of the average third world person.