US and China Caught Secretly Testing GMO Rice on Children

Anthony Gucciardi
Natural Society

Anthony Gucciardi
NaturalSociety
September 13, 2012

Instead of putting genetically modified foods through proper trials as consumers have been demanding for years, it appears the United States Department of Agriculture in alliance with the Chinese government have instead chosen to secretly test their latest GMO rice on young Chinese children. What’s particularly interesting is the fact that the agencies decided they even needed to test the rice, after claiming that GMO rice and all other GM creations are virtually identical to natural foods.

Currently under investigation by Chinese health officials, the research project was cracked wide open after Greenpeace reportedly corresponded with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention to expose the ongoing research. Currently, Greenpeace is calling for a stop to the trials which are reportedly continuing in the field. Citing health and environmental risks, Greenpeace says that the studies are taking place on roughly 24 children aged between six and eight years old. It has also been said that the parents likely were completely unaware or misinformed.

The USDA seeks to examine the effects of the GMO rice on the young children, also known as genetically modified ‘golden rice’.

Shortly after the news came out, China’s version of Twitter exploded with outrage as Chinese government organizations went into overdrive to downplay the studies. A Tufts University PR spokesperson, the very university developing the rice, claimed to no knowledge of the event and decried it as inhumane and unethical. PR rep Andrea Grossman stated that the GMO rice creators had always placed the ‘highest importance’ on human health:

“We have always placed the highest importance on human health, and we take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of human research subjects.”

One Chinese author indicated in the secret GMO rice trials, Shi-an Yin, was suspended from his work. The second claimed to have no idea the study was going on and was therefore not arrested or even suspended.

For the USDA to be secretly testing genetically modified foods on young children while disregarding all calls for real analysis in the United States shows just how the agency is trying to hide. After all, why would you not perform trials out in the open if the results were so favorable? Likely because their previous secret tests were not favorable, and the agency is determining just how detrimental new GMO rice really is.