Golden Rice, a genetically modified (GM) rice that will prevent death and blindness in children, has been authorised for cultivation and use in the Philippines. The Philippine government is to allow the cultivation and direct use of GR2E Golden Rice in food, feed, and for processing. It is the first country to allow both production and consumption.

The decision is described as a victory for science-based regulatory decision-making.

The GM crop is fortified with vitamin A and designed to be consumed in areas where the staple diet is deficient in that vitamin. It is called Golden Rice because its colour is produced by beta carotene, a source of vitamin A. It is estimated that vitamin A deficiency results in the loss of 670,000 children under the age of five and causes an additional 500,000 cases of irreversible childhood blindness worldwide every year.

Vitamin A deficiency is seen as a significant public health problem in the Philippines where per-capita consumption of white rice in 2018 was 115kg.

The crop will not carry additional cost and there are no restrictions on what small farmers can do with the seed.

The crop had been approved for production in some countries before now, but only for export.