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Read the posts of your peers and respond to at least two. Challenge his or her position on government regulation of bioengineering. Explain and support your own position.

Researching Golden Rice and Beyond author Ingo Potrykus (2001) states that “genetic engineering technology has potentially solved an urgent and previously intractable health problem for the poor of the developing world”. Moreover golden rice is rice that is genetically modified and is helping to feed many nations all over the world. There is concern with genetically modified organisms (GMO) because they can be seen in my types of food chains, as unhealthy. However golden rice shows significant popularity throughout the world in being able to feed many poverty stricken countries.

Potrykus (2001) addresses that the “Rockefeller Biotechnology Program in (New York) was where the project to engineer the provitamin-A pathway into the rice endosperm”. There are many different pathways that are in a rice plants and trying to discover the right path to channel the development of golden rice. Potrykus (2001) expresses that their research discover “two important factors to divert the pathways toward B-carotene and channeling a considerable amount of geranylgeranyl-pyrrophosphate away from the other important pathways which had no consequence on the physiology development”. 

            The way golden rice received its name was because of Agrobacterium strains that contained all the necessary genes that give a certain maker (Potrykus 2001). Furthermore golden rice developing the yellow color made the rice very distinctive to many people. In addition containing high levels of provitamin-A levels became beneficial worldwide, all coming from a biochemical pathways. The research shows that people in countries that suffer from vitamin-A deficiencies, prove that golden rice could be positive for health. Golden rice may be beneficial in helping people who could become blind or die from being on a strict diet in underdeveloped countries. The B-carotene gene once ingested into the body becomes vitamin-A, and this causes high levels of vitamin-A to become present within the body (Potrykus 2001). 

The type of negative feedback golden rice could give to society would be that it may take away from farms profit of natural rice development. Moreover many farmers that develop rice plants could be put out of business due to the over growth of golden rice. The fact that golden rice can feed many people all over the world, could in some regards destroy natural agriculture production worldwide. I think individuals should support bioengineering if it serves a purpose in helping humanity and society. In addition many companies that push bioengineering want to make money and are doing it for the wrong reasons. There needs to be a desire to want to help people and not take advantage of scientific advances in technology. Furthermore the bioengineer’s need to be mindful of the long term effects of products and how this can effect natural development of products throughout the world. 

Delivering Golden Rice to Developing Countries article shows how bioengineered products, such as golden rice should not be outlawed because of the humanitarian license agreement set up by farmers to ensure protection of low-income farmers (Jorge Mayer 2007). Nevertheless, there needs to be guidelines and regulations to ensure the safety of the product in society. Mayer (2007) expresses that “golden rice offers a sustainable solution to reduce the prevalence of vitamin A deficiency-related diseases and morality, a problem the affects the health of millions of children in all developing countries”. I believe that genetically modified organisms should be label if they are going to be consumed by society. In pursuing this further the labeling of (GMO) products should be done to ensure people of what they are eating. A person should have the right to know where there food is coming from or how the food was developed. If a (GMO) product is not label and a person is not aware of what they are eating and this could cause lack of trust within society as a whole. Lastly, if bioengineering companies want to produce products for stores to sell they must label them and let people know what is in their products.