Golden Rice Change

Golden Rice Change

Hannah Cianci (CC) 21 Mar 2017 06:21

I do think that many populations are accustomed to the pure, white rice, but there are already other forms of rice available as well. Brown rice has started appearing more often than before, and people have been choosing this rice over white rice due to some nutritional benefits. Though I am only seeing this change happen in the United States, I think it shows the adaptability potential for other people across the world. Other cultures may use the pure, white rice as a base but other cultures also utilize different food products with their rice that may cause the white rice to change colors. With these color changes that the people are creating themselves, they are still willing to eat the rice with a different color. As we discussed in class, it will definitely be a gradual change to have people become more accustomed to golden rice, but it is definitely possible. In fact, white rice used to be wild red rice and then evolved to be the pure, polished form that we see today. If we were able to switch from wild red rice to white rice to the point where no one knows the actual origin of the white rice anymore, I believe it is completely possible to introduce the Golden rice with more nutritional benefits into society and encourage its use. People may avoid Golden rice at first due to unfamiliarity, but things are only unfamiliar for so long. With time and patience, I believe that Golden rice can definitely begin to become a staple in other cultures across the world.

Re: Golden Rice Change

ToriTschantz-VCOMVC 21 Mar 2017 17:57

I’m really glad you brought up the example of brown rice vs white rice in the United States, Hannah. I think a huge a part of why more people having been willing to switch to consuming brown rice instead of white rice in the United States is because we’ve done a great job educating the public about the drastic difference in nutritional benefits that brown rice offers compared to white rice. I imagine the makers of Golden Rice and public health officials have tried to educate the public about the benefits of Golden rice compared to that of white rice; however, the previous/ current efforts clearly have not made a huge difference and people are still hesitant to eat rice that differs in color to what they are normally accustomed to. I agree with you that this will take time, patience, and persistence. What will be crucial in making this happen is cultural competency and involvement of the local people. Effective cultural change stems from the community members themselves, so I think there needs to be a strong push for education of community leaders about the benefits of Golden rice. Then, a partnership can be built between these leaders and public health officials to come up with a way to promote the rice in the community while taking into consideration the culture. Then the rice might be able to actually make improvements in the nutrition of the people.