SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Marion Nestle, PhD, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, Emerita reports via Food Politics
The FDA has concluded its "consultation process" on Golden Rice. This, you may recall, is rice bioengineered to contain genes for beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.
The FDA's letter to IRRI concluding the consultation [PDF] includes this statement:
Although GR2E ["Golden"] rice is not intended for human or animal food uses in the United States, when present, it would be a producer's or distributer's [sic] responsibility to ensure that labeling of human and animal foods marketed in the United States, meets applicable legal requirements. Although the concentration of ß-carotene in GR2E rice is too low to warrant a nutrient content claim, the ß-carotene in GR2E rice results in grain that is yellow-golden in color.
The FDA's analysis of the science [PDF] concludes that this rice Is unlikely to be toxic or allergenic. It also concludes that although the rice contains higher amounts of ß-carotene than non-modified rice, people in the U.S. are unlikely to eat much of it and in any case the amounts would decline due to storage, processing, and cooking.
In any case, the amounts are not high enough to merit a nutrient-content claim.
This rice has long been promoted as a means to solve problems of vitamin A deficiency in the developing world. Will it? We are still waiting to find out.
What does "too low to warrant a nutrient content claim" mean?
The FDA's rules for nutrient content claims [PDF] (go to pages 91 and 92) say:
- "High", "Rich in", or "Excellent source of" means that a standard food portion contains 20% or more of the daily value for that nutrient.
- "Good source", "Contains", or "Provides" means 10% to 19% of the daily value per standard serving.
- "More", "Fortified", "Enriched", "Added", "Extra", or "Plus" means 10% or more of the daily value than an appropriate reference food.
The daily value for beta-carotene [PDF] is complicated because it is a precursor of vitamin A; 12 micrograms of beta-carotene are equivalent to one vitamin A unit. The standard for adults and children is 900 vitamin A units or 900 x 12 for beta-carotene = 10,800 micrograms.
One serving of Golden Rice must provide less than 10% of that amount (1,080 micrograms).
For comparison, one small carrot provides about 4000 micrograms of beta-carotene.
Previous: Where's the Golden Rice?
(Score: 5, Informative) by sjames on Saturday June 09 2018, @12:09AM
Certainly we've seen bold headlines about Golden rice, but the lowlights kind of slipped to the back page next to the personal ads.
It doesn't help that much with vitamin A deficiency. Part of that is that it needs to be eaten western style with plenty of fats to actually be absorbed. Exactly the way most people in need of the supplement DON'T eat. Two, it's yields are lower than native species grown in the relevant areas. That's a pretty big deal.
As for the FDA, it makes sense that it's report would ba based on the assumption of sale and consumption in the U.S. since that's the only region it has any say over.