Potrykus and its Humanitarian Board were unable to break through the political opposition to Golden Rice. After years of effort the Golden Rice Humanitarian Project, led by Dr. Greenpeace and its allies have consistently opposed the introduction of Golden Rice for over a decade, claiming it may have “environmental and health risks” without ever elaborating on what those risks might be. It has been demonstrated in numerous studies that golden rice can eliminate vitamin A deficiency. Ingo Potrykus and his colleagues developed Golden Rice in 1998. Beta-Carotene is converted to vitamin A in humans and is important for eyesight, the immune system, and general good health. Golden Rice is a genetically modified form of rice that, unlike conventional rice, contains beta-Carotene in the rice kernel. Millions of other people suffer from various debilitating conditions due to the lack of this essential nutrient. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court defines “crimes against humanity” as acts that are “committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack – intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.”Īccording to the World Health Organization between 250,000 to 500,000 children become blind every year due to vitamin A deficiency, half of whom die within a year of becoming blind. Ingo Potrykus to Greenpeace, February 2001 Your actions will be carefully registered and you will, hopefully, have the opportunity to defend your illegal and immoral actions in front of an international court.”ĭr. “If you plan to prevent responsible testing and development of Golden Rice for humanitarian purposes, you will be accused of contributing to a crime against humanity.