Testing genetically modified rice on Chinese children caused controversy. Tufts responded

Testing genetically modified rice on Chinese children caused controversy. Tufts responded to a case reported to the media by the Greenpeace Food and Agriculture Project on August 30...

Greenpeace launched an attack Netizens denounced

. The cause of this incident was a piece of news disclosed by Greenpeace. On August 30, the organization quoted a paper published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" on August 1, which stated that a research team led by Professor Tang Guangwen of Tufts University in the United States used 24 rural children in Hunan, China to conduct genetically modified?#40644;Golden Rice?#65288;Golden Rice (internationally referred to as GR), the beta-carotene contained in these "golden rice" is believed to be able to make up for the lack of vitamin A in the human body. The lack of vitamin A can lead to night blindness, blindness, and even death. It is said that 250,000 preschool children around the world go blind due to lack of vitamin A every year, and half of them die after becoming blind.

Greenpeace issued a statement that it is extremely irresponsible to use Chinese children as experimental subjects for genetically modified rice, and called on the Chinese government to review the legality of the research and provide medical and legal assistance to the affected children.

Fang Lifeng, director of the organization's food and agriculture program in China, told the media: "Genetically modified foods have potential risks to human health. An American institution used the bodies of Chinese children to test genetically modified rice. We are outraged that such an experiment can be carried out." It’s outrageous and unbelievable. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Agriculture had stopped the experiment four years ago, so we don’t know why it can still be revived.”

As soon as the news came out, it triggered a lot of discussion in forums in China and the United States, most of which were voices of condemnation. For example, "An American company is making a fuss about rice again! How shameless!" "If you have children, would you allow them to 'experiment'? Are you sure there will be no long-term danger?" "The genetically modified stuff will not even be eaten by the mice used in the experiment!" There were many messages condemning Tang Guangwen personally.

Follow the highest standards and achieve ideal test results

In response to this incident, a reporter from the Overseas Chinese News contacted Professor Tang Guangwen, director of the Carotenoids and Health Laboratory at Tufts University, on August 31. She was on vacation and forwarded the inquiry email to the school. School spokesperson Andrea Grossman subsequently responded in writing, saying that Tufts University adheres to the highest ethical standards in all experiments involving human subjects. The purpose of the "Golden Rice" trial is to find a solution to a very serious health problem in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, vitamin A deficiency affects 250 million children worldwide, with 250,000 children going blind each year and half of these children dying after becoming blind. Although there are currently various vitamin A supplement methods and social projects, the problem of vitamin A deficiency still cannot be solved. The purpose of this trial is to further confirm the effectiveness of "Golden Rice" in supplementing vitamin A deficiency.