June 2012
Featured in this insight: Education, Food & drink, Children & young people
Survey finds young Britons have shocking lack of basic food knowledge: A survey of 2,000 people on behalf of charity Leaf (Linking Environment and Farming) has revealed a shocking lack of food knowledge amongst 16 to 23 year-olds.
More than a third of this young demographic (36%) claimed they did not know that bacon is derived from pigs. In addition, four in ten (40%) did not link milk with the image of a dairy cow, while 7% thought milk comes from wheat.
Only 41% of young respondents correctly linked butter to a dairy cow, with 8% linking it to beef cattle. A further 67% were able to link eggs to an image of a hen, but 11% thought they came from wheat or maize.
Although four in ten young adults (43%) thought themselves knowledgeable about where their food comes from, the charity said that the findings revealed a "shocking" lack of knowledge about how the most basic food is produced.
Caroline Drummond, Leaf Chief Executive, commented: "We often hear reports that our food knowledge may be declining but this new research shows how bad the situation is becoming. Despite what they think, young adults are clearly becoming removed from where their food comes from.”
She added: "Three in ten adults born in the 1990s haven't visited a farm in more than 10 years, if at all, which is a real shame as our farmers not only play an important role in food production but are passionate about engaging and reconnecting consumers too."
Leaf is organising an Open Farm Sunday event this weekend in the hopes of educating the public more.
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