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Why was golden rice developed to help address vitamin A deficiency?

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Rows of genetically modified barley plants grow in an outdoor test plot in Germany, with a yellow marker labeled 3 and protective netting overhead. — genetically modified organism Genetically modified crops are assessed for their impact on environmental factors such as soil quality.

Golden rice was developed as a genetically modified crop specifically to combat vitamin A deficiency, a major public health concern affecting millions of people in low-income countries where rice serves as a primary staple food.1

Because vitamin A is not naturally present in rice grains, scientists engineered the plant to biosynthesize beta-carotene, a precursor that the human body converts into vitamin A. By introducing genes from daffodils and certain bacteria into the rice genome, researchers enabled the accumulation of beta-carotene in the edible endosperm of the grain.12

This innovation was intended to provide a sustainable, grain-based solution to address the severe health consequences of deficiency, which include blindness, developmental defects, and increased mortality in children. It is estimated that golden rice can provide up to 50 percent of the necessary vitamin A in a child’s diet, offering a critical tool to reduce avoidable illness and death in regions where access to other vitamin A-rich foods is limited.13