This inaugural issue of Volume 19 of the Journal of Agricultural & Food Information opens with two columns highlighting an interesting food or ag-related organization and agricultural commodity. Lauren Manninen profiles Heritage Foods USA, a Brooklyn, New York-based distributor of sustainably produced, heritage-livestock meat products with a mission to preserve endangered species and foods for future generations. Suzi Teghtmeyer explores the fascinating world of hops—an ingredient integral to the production of beer, but having a surprising number of other applications.
Peer-reviewed contributions describe various efforts aimed at delivering information to students/youth, farmers, and consumers. With respect to students, Katherine O'Clair and Shane Gillard assess the effectiveness of an online library orientation for undergraduates in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at California Polytechnic State University. Results from their survey of students' perceptions and opinions will inform future re-versioning for a more meaningful online learning experience. Grace Troupe, A. McKinzie Peterson, Douglas Golick, Stacie Turnbull, and Don Lee describe their development and use of an online educational resource, The Journey of a Gene, to improve teaching of genetic engineering (GE) concepts to high-school students. Survey and interview findings show promise for the video series in building scientific literacy and addressing reported barriers to effective GE instruction: lack of time and teacher confidence/subject competency. Lastly, Idris Badiru and Temitope Akande report on a novel approach to inspire interest in agriculture among Nigerian youth: the catchy musical recording ‘Cocoa na chocolate,’ released in March 2014 in support of a campaign to promote agricultural investments and improved policies. In the authors’ assessment, the song's message of “Do Agric, It Pays” falls short in overturning negative perceptions of agriculture as a field with limited opportunity and financial reward.
Shifting the focus to farmers, Chrysanthi Charatsari, Alex Koutsouris, Evagelos Lioutas, Apostolos Kalivas, and Eleni Tsaliki share insights from their study of Farmer Field Schools (FFS) as a method of disseminating agricultural information in Greece. They conclude that FFS may be a particularly effective approach, since, in the process of delivering knowledge, they also meet farmers’ social and psychological needs.
A study by Lulu Rodriguez and Supathida Kulpavaropas targets consumers and their reactions to food product symbols conveying information about genetically modified (GM) ingredients. Results suggest that, in general, consumers respond better to positively framed GM food symbols, as opposed to negatively framed ones, but that consumer characteristics influence their preference.
In our final peer-reviewed contribution, Tony Stankus examines the multidisciplinary, open-access journal, PLOS ONE, as a publication venue for food scientists, particularly with an eye to citation counts. The issue concludes with book and Internet reviews by Madeleine Charney, Robert B. Ridinger, and Rosanna T. Lindquist. Enjoy!