Debating the biosafety of Golden Rice: a utilitarian-ethical evaluation

The genetically modified rice crop known as Golden Rice (GR2E)—which had been renamed Malusog rice (healthy rice) due to controversy—has been advanced as a prospective remedy for vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in developing countries. The Philippine government had issued biosafety permits for confined field trials and prospective commercialization of Golden Rice in the country. However, the Philippines Court of Appeals withdrew these permits, citing potential environmental harm, concerns about metabolic toxicity from long-term consumption, and the absence of post-approval health-impact monitoring for human populations. Bangladesh is similarly considering approval of Golden Rice for agricultural production and human consumption. The biosafety debate is engaged here through a review of relevant data about VAD, the reasoning of the Court of Appeals, the political economy of GR2E, a utilitarian ethical analysis of risk and benefit, and a brief assessment of policy implications for the South Asia region, especially Bangladesh.