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Nicholas Pascual
Professor Ogbara
English 1A
2 December 2015
Is GMO the Way To Go?
Food has always been a consistent source of happiness in my life and in many other
peoples lives as well. We eat food every single day in order to sustain energy, get through the
day, and simply, to be happy. Unfortunately, that excitement we have always gotten from stuffing
our faces with burgers, fries, hot dogs, and so many other decadent foods has faded away. The
menaces at fault are things called genetically modified organisms or GMOs for short. According
to the World Health Organization or WHO, genetically modified organisms are organisms that
have been altered in a way that does not occur naturally(WHO). The words altered and
unnatural, when added to a product or an object, have usually made consumers feel
uncomfortable about what theyre buying. When GMOs are the subject of the matter, people
become concerned with one of the most important things in life: food. Genetically modified
foods or GM foods were first introduced in the early 1990s with the goal to be efficiently made
and affordable. Unfortunately, many people looked at this scientific discovery with concerned
questions involving health, safety, and much more. The debate over genetically modified foods
has been going around for more than ten years throughout the world. The use of GMOs in the
food we consume should be put to a stop due to the dangers that they can potentially cause.
Genetically modified foods are still a mystery to many consumers around the world. We
simply do not know much about them because they were barely introduced in the 1990s. The
Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia state that GM food is made from organisms that

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have been altered through genetic engineering (Wagnalls). Personally, when I think of the word
engineering I think of electricity or something industrial. Of course, genetically modified
organisms arent treated with electricity, but it still does not stop them from being unnatural.
Genetically modified organisms first purpose was not to alter food. Wagnalls maintains by
stating, scientists alter the genetic material of certain crops to introduce new traits that can
benefit farmers (Wagnalls). Thats right, farmers were the first people to benefit from GMOs.
For example, some of the crops that have been altered have a trait where they are able to resist
the damage caused by insects. This serves as a safe substitute to all the environmentally harmful
insecticides. Although farmers are able to use these genetically modified crops to their
advantage, the alteration of these crops are still unnatural. When I think of these safe
insecticides I imagine all of the chemicals that is being placed into the food that is brought out to
grocery stores, restaurants, and to our homes. We arent really sure what is going into burgers
and fries until research has been completed. Wagnalls exclaims that in these genetically modified
crops that farmers yield, Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt is the main component (Wagnalls). This
bacterium allows the crops to create proteins that harm and ultimately kill insects. Even though
GM foods have been in the market for over twenty years, there is still so much research to be
done. In Lisa Weasels novel Food Fray, she provides insight into one of the first foods that has
been genetically modified. She states, the Flavr Savr tomato was perhaps unlikely victor for
first prize in the GM food approval race (Weasel 22). A company based in California called
Calgene brought this tomato into the food industry. Their goal was to ultimately create a tomato
that could withstand long hours of transcontinental transport and to prevent the pallid flavor
and winter mushiness that tomatoes have shown (Weasel 23). This tomato, although described
as being extremely strong and durable, was obviously unnatural. Weasel then questions this

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tomato with humor by exclaiming, What could be more appealing than a ripe, red tomato,
bursting with flavor in the middle of the winter? (Weasel 23). This tomato provided both
producers and consumers with an efficient way to obtain their vegetables that have been through
long travels. Although this genetically modified tomato benefitted many farmers and consumers,
it still raises concerns because tomatoes are supposed to be fragile and have an extremely soft
exterior. Unfortunately, tomatoes arent the only type of food to go through these different
modifications. According to bionet, a forum including scientists around the worlds, some fruits
like strawberries, pineapples, and bananas have gone through many scientific modifications in
order to remain fresh. You then have to ask yourself: Is saving a few extra dollars by not buying
bananas, tomatoes, or any other perishable foods as often worth the safety of your health?
Many people eat genetically modified foods without even knowing it. According to
WebMD, eighty percent of processed foods in the U.S have been genetically modified
(WebMD). To me personally, eighty percent is a very large number. Imagine having one
thousand packages of frozen chicken in a grocery store. Eight hundred of those packages have
possibly been genetically modified. You, the consumer may ask: What does genetically modified
even mean? The answer begins with a single plant. Amy Paturel, a freelance writer specializing
in food, health, and nutrition, states that scientists change the plant by adding DNA from
another plant, bacteria, or virus to alter it (Paturel). Envision a crop being experimented on in
order to retrieve never before seen qualities. Some qualities include bug resistance, prevention
from drying, and taste change. That is basically what genetically modified organisms are. The
benefit of having these mutations is that it speeds up the process of making crops. The lengthy
and tedious task of farming has been replaced by GMOs. Amy states scientists can grow several
generations of plants in one year and that conditions for growing these plants are perfect in

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the lab. Watermelons, tomatoes, pumpkins, corn, peppers, and many other crops no longer need
the sunlight and warmth that is provided by the summer season because of their genetically
modified structure.
Many consumers often wonder if the foods they are eating are, in fact, genetically
modified. A common crop that is genetically modified is corn. This corn isnt simply any corn
but Roundup Ready corn. It gets its name from the popular weed and grass herbicide farmers
and many other people use called Roundup. Monsanto, a company that started in 1901, were
the originators of these herbicides or plant killing chemicals (Monsanto). Their product
Roundup was advertised as biodegradable and it claimed to leave the soil clean
(Monsanto). Mercola, an online source that provides health articles, medical news, and much
more wrote an article that disproved Monsantos claims. They state Frances highest court has
ruled that U.S. agrochemical giant Monsanto had not told the truth about the safety of its bestselling weed-killer, Roundup (Mercola). Monsantos false advertisements had caught up to them
and their products were beginning to be looked down upon. After this court ruling, many people
started to angrily question the ingredients used in this herbicide. Mercola maintains by stating
that Roundups main ingredient glyphosate was classified as being dangerous for the
environment (Mercola). Roundup ready corn comes into the discussion because of is genetically
modified properties. Scientists were able to create stocks of corn that were able to resist and
protect themselves from the spray of Roundup. This gave farmers an easier task of killing weeds
that surrounded their crops. Instead of having to choose areas to spray carefully, farmers are able
to spray the whole farm. The weeds die, but the corn is okay. The question now is: Would you eat
a corn on the cob or a side of corn with your steak if you knew it was sprayed with toxic
chemicals? If I were asked this question, I would, without a doubt, refuse the corn. Roundup is

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unsafe and unnatural and I would not want my food to have traces of it regardless of its genetic
properties. The idea of indestructible corn is just the beginning for scientists because they
continue to discover more and more each day.
Surprisingly, there are many consumers in the United States who agree with the use of
GMOs. Yes, you read that correctly, some people actually enjoy eating contaminated food. One
of the main arguments people offer in siding with genetically modified organisms is that they can
provide a solution to world hunger. Logan Hawkes, a writer for the reliable agriculture
newspaper titled Southwest Farmpress, states an alternate view about genetically modified
organisms in his article: Even the Wealthy Understand the Need for GMO Research to Address
World Hunger. In this article, Hawkes states how wealthy people have invested their money into
agricultural research. For example, Bill Gates, the owner of the popular company Microsoft,
claims, innovation is the key to improving the world (Hawkes). Gates believes that since
around fifteen percent of people in the world are living in poverty, the advancement of
technology will help solve this problem. More specifically, Gates believes that agricultural
research is one of the key components to saving the world. Agricultural improvements provide
more efficient ways for farmers to yield an extremely large amount of crops. Hawkes maintains
this idea by referring back to the Green Revolution in which food intake went up and the price
of wheat dropped by two-thirds due to the improvement of the yielding of crops (Hawkes).
More crops in the world would mean more food being able to be produced for consumers. This
would also provide many families who are living in rough financial circumstances with more
inexpensive ways to feed and nourish themselves. These improvements in technology are
unfortunately, tremendously expensive. Gates exclaims that the $3 billion spent each year on
agriculture crop research isnt enough (Hawkes). $3 billion is an immensely large amount, but

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when it is viewed as an effort to improve the lives of seven billion people, then $3 billion is just
the start. Hawkes maintains by stating, this hefty amount of money is used to increase
agricultural productivity, including research into genetic engineering and plant breeding
(Hawkes). This article provides an insight into what genetically modified organisms can do in
order to benefit peoples lives instead of causing harm.
The main concern still remains: Should the use of GMOs be put to an end? Although
billions of dollars and years of research have been conducted on these genetically modified
organisms, the answer is still extremely questionable. Consumers are still uncertain as to what
exactly is in their food and what effects may arise from eating those foods. We still dont know
every single modification or mutation that our foods have gone through and it will take many
more years to completely understand it. The World Health Organization states it is not possible
to make general statements on the safety of all GM foods (WHO). Since we, as a country, still
have so much to learn about genetically modified foods and what properties they might have, we
should take extreme caution with everything we consume. You never know what foods may
come back to harm you.

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Works Cited
"Frequently Asked Questions on Genetically Modified Foods." WHO. World Health
Organization, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2015.
Gazzaniga, Michael. Towards a Universal Ethics. Dana Press, 2005. Print.
Genetically Modified Food. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2015): 1p.
1. Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
Hawkes, Logan. "Even the Wealthy Understand the Need For GMO Research to Address World
Hunger." Southwest Farm Press 9 Feb. 2012: 8-9. Print.
Martineau, Belinda, and Crispin Taylor. "When Food Is Genetically Modified." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Paturel, Amy, and Robin Yamakawa. "The Truth About GMOs: Are They Safe? What Do We
Know?" WebMD. Ed. Brunilda Nazario. WebMD, 10 June 2015. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.
Weasel, Lisa. Food Fray. New York: Amacom-American Management Association, 2009. Print

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Self-Review: Research Essay
1.) Yes, I engaged my audience with a personal anecdote about my love for food.
2.) I slowly lured in my audience into a debate about GMOs.
3.) Yes, I took a stance on my position about GMOs providing an answer to the question of
whether a certain technological advancement has caused problems.
4.) Yes my thesis explained the point of what my essay dives into.
5.) Yes, the body paragraphs are well organized in an order of describing what GMOs are,
why they are harmful, and what counter arguments are present.
6.) Yes the readers can see each point of the section with the topic sentences.
7.) Yes they can see the main ideas I make in each paragraph, including my closing
statements in the conclusion.
8.) Yes they can see how everything is relevant to the point that GMOs are still too new to be
widely available.
9.) No
10.) I include sources relating to GMOs.
11.) Yes I introduce the source before incorporating quotes.
12.) Yes I analyze each quote and I relate it back to how it relates to that
paragraph.
13.) Yes, my conclusion sums up my key ideas and it leaves the audience
wondering whether GMOs are healthy or not.
14.) Yes.

Revising and Editing Goals

Global Issues

Surface Issues

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I respond to the prompt with my

thesis statement, but need to
improve on elaborating my thesis
with my body paragraphs.
My topic sentences need to be more
exciting and they need to make a
debatable argument.
My overall organization can use some
work because I find myself repeating
many sentences or statements.
I need to focus on implementing my
quotes more efficiently and not just
dropping a large quote in the
sentence.
Transitions are probably my weakest
point because my paragraphs can
sometimes be placed in random and
off place.

Work on sentence structure, making

sure they do not sound awkward and
that they make a clear point relating
back to the topic sentence.
I didnt find too many spelling errors,
but make sure the use of commas
and other punctuation marks are
used correctly.
Make sure you arent putting
sentences in your essay that are just
there for filler.

What Grade Did I Get?

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This essay was one of the most difficult essays I have written in my academic career. It
required extensive research on a topic I was, at first, very unfamiliar with. To be completely
honest, I encountered many struggles at the beginning of my essay. I knew that my main struggle
was to summarize, instead of analyze. This essay required me to choose a stance on my topic and
support it with reliable sources. It seemed like a heavy task when I was first assigned this essay,
but with all the research projects, annotated bibliographies, and all the extra helpful activities, it
all became less stressful. I believe I should receive a B+ on this essay. In my opinion, I deserve
this grade because I state my point, while answering prompt #2. I also provide evidence
throughout the body paragraphs, which are complimented by reliable sources. Putting these
aspects all together, this essay, to me, is my best essay in English 1A.