Shauna Reid |1

Shauna Reid

Tamera Davis

English Comp II

1 October 2019

Brody, Jane E. "Are GMO Foods Safe?" The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 April

2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/23/well/eat/are-gmo-foods-safe.html.

This article focuses on how GMO products are supposed to be labeled according to the

2016 federal law that mandates uniformed labeling of any foods containing GMOs. Brody

focuses on how we can't tell if they are safe or not because they are still abstract. Brody is a

Personal Health Columnist for the New York Times. The New York Times is one of the most

significant newspapers in the world; it is very well known. Published on April 2018 I do believe

it is slightly biased but is a reliable source because it is a widely known newspaper. I do think

this would be an excellent source to use. It touches on how things need to be labeled and how

farmers are trying to make foods healthier and using less harmful pesticides.

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "Consumer Info About Food from Genetically

Engineered Plants." US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Jan.

2018, https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/consumer-info-about-food-

genetically-engineered-plants.

This article focuses on how, at some point in our life, we probably have all eaten some

genetically engineered food products. The FDA states that they are safe to eat and regulated by

the FDA. The FDA is responsible for maintaining the safety of the public. The FDA is a credible
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source because it is the primary safety contributor for the United States, and it does more than

help with food safety. I believe that this is not a biased article because it is based upon facts. It

also has links in the items for more information on topics that it touched on in this article. The

data is current and updated as of 2018. I do believe this is a reliable source because it is a

government-based source. I do think that it will be a good source because it is government based

and those usually are good sources.

Karami, Fatemeh, and Peyman Mahasti Shotorbani. "Genetically Modified Foods: Pros and Cons

for Human Health." Food & health, 15 June, 2018,

fh.srbiau.ac.ir/article_12846_dd55add1a958b3adacdf4d1d6f7dced5.pdf.

This article focuses on genetically modifying plants to improve health and focus on customer

health. Karami and Shotorbani focus on using polymeric nanoparticles that contain alpha-

tocopherol to develop biologic preservatives to improve human health. The authors are at Islamic

Azad University in Iran. They are part of the Department of Food Quality Control and Hygiene,

Science and Research Branch. The Food & Health Journal is circulated, worldwide, unbiased

according to the journals about page. This article was written in 2018 and uses credible sources

like science studies in many different areas. I do think that it is a reliable source, it touches on

how Genetically modified foods can be used for good, and I want to bring to light that GMOs are

not all bad.

Kurzgesagt – In a director. Are GMOs Good or Bad? Genetic Engineering & Our

Food. YouTube, YouTube, 30 March.

2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TmcXYp8xu4.
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This source talks about how GMOs are a very controversial topic, and how genetically

modifying medication is warrant, but the food is another story. Kurzgesagt explores the facts, the

fears, and the future of GMOs and how they will be a part of what is the rest of our lives.

Kurzgesagt from what I have watched on his YouTube channel is very knowledgeable on the

topics he talks on in his videos. This source I chose has many educational videos for science and

other subjects. The video was posted March of 2017 and has source work within the video's

about link. I don't think it is biased because it is a science-driven page as well as having many

videos posted for six years. I do believe this will be an excellent asset to my paper because it is

very informational about what GMOs are and how they can be used for good.

Ludwig, Kaitlin. "Is Our Environment Ready for Roundup? Investigation of Genetically

Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Their Indirect Effects on the Environment." AURA

Home, 8 May 2018, https://aura.alfred.edu/handle/10829/10832.

This article focuses on the adverse effects of GMOs and how they are harmful to not only

humans but animals as well. Ludwig explains in her thesis how toxic chemicals are being used in

GMOs and that they have adverse effects. Ludwig was in the honors program at Alfred

University in Alfred, New York. The source is based on Alfred University, which is a private

university that focuses on better education for its students. This source was published in May of

2018. This source has multiple pages of source work within this source. I do believe that this will

be a reliable source because it has many different sources within its practice. It also goes into

depth about how GMOs are bad for us.

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Siegel, Kate, and Suzanne Verity. "The Truth About GMOs: Are They Safe? What Do We

Know?" WebMD, WebMD, 8 Apr. 2016, https://www.webmd.com/food-

recipes/features/truth-about-gmos#1.

This website talks about what a GMO is and how it is being used for the good. Siegel and Verity

start with the basics and go more in-depth on what a GMO is and how they work. Siegel is a

respected editor for WebMD, and Verity has been an editor for over twenty years. Many people

have used WebMD for looking up medical conditions and facts about those medical conditions.

Being published in April of 2016, it is an older publication but should not wholly discredit this as

a source. I think this is an excellent source because it is medically based. This website has been

used for many years and not given unreliable information.

Technica, Ars. YouTube, YouTube, 22 January.

2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4ZHcBi2cDo.

This video focuses on how everything has changed genetically one way or another. Technica

focuses on how we have an everchanging world and how GMOs can be for good. Ars. Technica

is an Arts of Technology YouTube channel. This channel goes from things being science-based

to today's technology. This video was published in January of 2019 and doesn't seem to be

biased. The only downfall it does not show source work within the video. I do believe this helps

the credibility of the source, but it still gives the right amount of information about GMOs. I do

think that it could be a decent source. It provides information that I have gotten from other

sources, but not all the information is the same.

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University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. "People who know about

genetically modified food agree with science: They're safe." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily,

9 November 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161109181906.htm>.

This article focuses on how genetically modified foods are safe to eat. McFadden states that

people who are knowledgeable about GMOs are more acceptable to agree that food as such as

these are safe to eat. Brad Buck is affiliated with the University of Florida Institute of Food and

Agricultural Sciences, and he has a master's degree and a bachelor's degree. Science Daily has

been a reliable source for many years; it focuses on today’s scientific news. Published in 2016 it

is an older article but gives a brief synopsis of questions of whether GMOs cause further

problems. It seems to be biased, but because not everyone is educated on what GMOs are. It

could be an article that goes more in-depth. I think it cuts the credibility and reliability down but

still makes an excellent article. It just briefly touches on what GMOs are and how more people

need to become educated about them. I do believe this will be a good source because people need

to become more educated about what they are and how they work.
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Shauna Reid

Mrs. Davis

English Comp II

1 October 2019

GMOs are they that bad?

Thesis: GMOs get a lot of shade because they are new, and a lot of people do not know

about them or not appropriately educated on them. Many individuals, just not Americans, are not

adequately knowledgeable about them, and this hurts their credibility. The use of GMOs is here

to stay and will benefit the world in many ways. (Thesis)

Body 1: What exactly is a GMO?

A. Topic Sentence- (What A GMO is) Have you ever been curious to know what a GMO is? A

person may think that it is a big bad thing that shouldn't be used.

Detail 1: GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism.

 According to WebMD: Explain what a GMO is. "Let's start with the basics. Changes to

genes aren't necessarily a bad thing" (Siegel, Verity).

 Occur in nature all the time, whether humans cause that or just with things continually

evolving and becoming better. Increased resistibility to diseases or viruses. Adaptability

to climate changes. GMOs will become eventually a thing that people use or consume

daily in the future.

Detail 2: Genetic modification has been going on for many years.

 Genetic modification has occurred naturally.

 Our ancestors have also altered crops to make them more stable.

 Genetic modification is happening more and more often.

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Body 2: Why mess with them?

A. Topic Sentence- (Why mess with the efforts of modifying crops?) More and more farmers are

modifying their crops.

Detail 1: Crops are being modified for multiple reasons.

 "As the populations grows, it's going to get harder to feed everyone" (Siegel, Verity).

 List some of the reasons for genetic modification

Detail 2: What crops are being genetically modified

· Transition into what crops are genetically modified

Detail 3: GMOs used in animals

 "Billions of edible animals are raised in this country each year on feed containing GMOs,

with no evidence of harm" (Brody).

 Improved animal health and growth

Body 3: Are GMOs Safe?

A. Topic sentence- (Can GMOs be used safely?) There is valid evidence that has been provided

if GE plants are just as safe as non-Ge plants.

Detail 1: In the United States, the FDA gauges the safety of GMOs.

 According to the FDA the safety laws for food restricts unsafe food.

 The food developer self-tests (Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition).

 The FDA decides if the GE food or plants are suitable for consumption or manufacturing

into other foods

Body 4: The negative effects of GMOs and certain herbicides used in GMO foods

A. Topic Sentence- (Roundup Herbicide contains glyphosate.) Glyphosate is commonly used on

GMO crops.
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Detail 1: What is Glyphosate? (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine)

 Explains what Glyphosate is

 The main active ingredient in Monsanto Company's product Roundup

Detail 2: Round up resistant GMO crops are being planted

 More and more GMO crops are becoming roundup resistant

 These have negative effects not just on humans but on the environments around us.

 Give a few examples of what is being affected by this,

 "A large concern regarding GMOs and Roundup use has been the effect on Danaus

Plexippus, monarch butterfly, populations" (Ludwig).

 Support this example on monarch butterflies

Body 5: The Benefits of GMOs

A. Topic sentence- GMOs can be used for good.

Detail 1: GMOs being used for diseases

 "Another GM foods technology has relied on the production of an edible vaccine to not

only increase the effect of it, but also alleviate the possible side effects of injectable

vaccines" (Karami, Shotorbani).

 GMOs can be used in the treatment of different diseases

 List some of the diseases

Transition: swerving into the unknown

Body 6: Being uneducated causes people to fear the unknown.

A. Topic sentence- (More people need to become educated.) Many people are unaware that they

are safe.

Detail 1: Many people just assume that they are not safe, but this is wrong.
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 "People who know a lot about genetically modified foods are inclined to agree with the

scientific consensus that such foods are safe to eat" (Buck).

 People are not educated about the safety of GMOs and how they work.

 The public tends to be against the unknown.

Detail 2: The educated ones

 While most people are not educated on GMOs, the educated ones don't always think they

are safe.

 McFadden noted in his paper that the Pew Research Center survey of scientists and the

general public (Buck).

 This showed that 88 percent of scientists agreed that they were safe to use, compared to

the 37 percent of adults who are not scientists

 It also showed that a majority of the scientists agreed that human activities cause global

warming.

Closing Paragraph

· Wrap up all points made

Conclusion: GMOs are not only safe but beneficial to humans. Of course, there is still a lot not

known about GMOs, but that is what science is for. People just need to become more educated

on what they are and how they work.

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Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "Consumer Info About Food from Genetically

Engineered Plants." US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Jan.

2018, https://www.fda.gov/food/food-new-plant-varieties/consumer-info-about-food-

genetically-engineered-plants.

Karami, Fatemeh, and Peyman Mahasti Shotorbani. "Genetically Modified Foods: Pros and Cons

for Human Health." Food & Health, 15 June 2018,

fh.srbiau.ac.ir/article_12846_dd55add1a958b3adacdf4d1d6f7dced5.pdf.

Ludwig, Kaitlin. "Is Our Environment Ready for Roundup? Investigation of Genetically

Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Their Indirect Effects on the Environment." AURA

Home, 8 May 2018, https://aura.alfred.edu/handle/10829/10832.

Siegel, Kate, and Suzanne Verity. "The Truth About GMOs: Are They Safe? What Do We

Know?" WebMD, WebMD, 8 Apr. 2016, https://www.webmd.com/food-

recipes/features/truth-about-gmos#1.

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. "People who know about

genetically modified food agree with science: They're safe." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily,

9 November 2016. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161109181906.htm>.