Rural insurance firm Cornish Mutual, commissioned research into food comprehension.
The disappoiinting findings show that many young children do not know where their food originates from.
Some youngsters believed that bacon comes from horses and eggs come from sheep.
Less than one in four of those surveyed knew that beef burgers are actually sourced from cows and more than a quarter (29 percent) thought pigs was the correct answer (maybe they were thinking of HAMburgers .. though probably not).
The survey, which tested the food knowledge of over 1,100 children from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset between the ages of six and eight, found that two thirds struggled to identify where everyday food products come from.
When asked where crisps came from, some confused pupils listed rabbits, plastic or sheep as the main ingredient, though the vast majority did know potatoes was the right answer.
Some youngsters thought yoghurt was made using turkeys and ducks, while others believed cheese came from rats, mice or butterflies.
The subject of vegetables scored better with the children. Nearly all (98 percent) could recognise carrots and sweetcorn, nearly two thirds knew a healthy diet requires five portions of fruit or vegetables a day and 77 percent of those surveyed had visited a farm. There are thereofore some crumbs of comfort in the survey results.
Still, the managing director of Cornish Mutual admitted he was “surprised” by the findings and said there were “some huge gaps” in children’s food knowledge.
“Given that we are surrounded by farming and the countryside, we would have expected children in the region to know more about the origins of their food,” said Alan Goddard.
The food survey coincides with the launch of a new campaign called “Dig Down South West” aimed at encouraging children to start their own vegetable patch.
Food with Passion believes that everyone can produce food even on a small scale and endorses any easures to help link children more to the sources of food. Watch out for our kids corner where we will introduce some small activities to help educate, but in an interesting and engaging way suited to kids.
