Touchstone 1.2

Jessica Banahene

Sophia-SNHU

English Comp II

December 22, 2021

Research question: are genetically modified foods safe for human consumption?

Working thesis: for ethical and social constructed reasons, genetically modified foods are not accepted in some cultures.

Detailed Outline

Introduction:

For ethical and social constructed reasons genetically, modified foods are not accepted in some cultures. Genetically modified foods have grown popular in various parts of the world. It is reported that genetically modified crops occupied a total of 12% of the cropland around the world in 2015 (Menozzi et al., 2017). Genetically maize plants sat on around 53.7 million hectares of land in the same year (Menozzi et al., 2017). These figures show the increased acceptance of genetically modified products and the role they play in ensuring food security.

Ethical issues

Potential harm to human health.

Potential harm to the environment.

The technology is unnatural.

Food security

GMOs provide food security

It will help solve hunger problems.

Improved value for crops and animals.

Disease-drought resistant crops and animals.

Less use of pesticides

The plants require less resources.

Reduced cost of the farm products and increased shelf life.

Counterargument

Antibiotic resistance

Immunosuppression

Allergic reactions

Concerns of cancer

Conclusion

Genetically modified foods have grown in popularity in the recent past.

GMOs ensure food security and can help alleviate hunger

However, there are concerns that GMO’s cause food allergy and antibiotic resistance.

Consider the process of researching as a whole. What was the most challenging aspect of the process for you? (2-3 sentences) 

The most challenging aspect of the process was to find reliable research papers that address the issue of genetically modified foods. Most of the sources located during the search did not follow the standard process of research. Hence the information found in these sources could not be trusted and thus were disregarded.

Effectiveness of the working thesis.

The thesis statement highlighted in this paper leans on the position that genetically modified foods are safe for human consumption and ensure food security. This thesis statement takes a position demystifying the concerns that genetically modified foods present a health risk. The argument here looks at both the pro and opposing views regarding this topic

Questions

As I go deeper into the research process would like to have the following questions addressed:

What are the myths about genetically modified foods?

What electronic databases contain sources that focus on this topic?

References

Menozzi, D., Kostov, K., Sogari, G., Arpaia, S., Moyankova, D., & Mora, C. (2017). A stakeholder engagement approach for identifying future research directions in the evaluation of current and emerging applications of GMOs. Bio-based and Applied Economics, 6(1), 57-79.