University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Genetically modified foods attract a lot of criticism.

Traditionally speaking, GMO, or genetically modified organism, is a term that means DNA from another organism has been added to an organism in order to make it grow better, or faster or be more resistant to things like drought or disease. But, as technology advances, new techniques are becoming available to researchers to make genetic improvements more precisely and in a way that mimics natural mutations and does not use DNA from other organisms.

A new University of Florida study suggests that there could be even more felled trees the next time a hurricane makes landfall in the state — not because of the rise of super storms or stronger wind conditions but because of termites.

Today marks the 45th annual National Ag Day, a time to reflect on where our food comes from.

But, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences works every day to raise agricultural awareness, not only in the state of Florida but across the nation as well.

Florida produces the majority of the nation's domestic winter strawberry crop, so we're marking National Strawberry Day with with Dr. Vance Whitaker, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Whitaker, who leads the UF/IFAS strawberry breeding program, will discuss the breeding program's long history, and the role strawberries play in the state’s agriculture industry.

The way consumers view labels in the grocery store is the subject of two University of Florida studies.

One looks at how we react to colors used in packaging, and the other shows consumers read the terms “non-GMO” and “organic” as the same thing.