Chips reared on a farm say kids

One in twenty children think chips come from a farm and don't know where milk comes from, according to startling new research from Dairy Farmers of Britain.

In a land where cows lay eggs* and cows eating grass turns their milk green**, the latest research delves further into children's farm yard fantasies. One in 20 kids think that chips (5%) and kievs (7%) are grown on a farm, whilst many do not think that milk (6%) or potatoes (11%) or carrots (14%) are produced by farmers.

As part of its 'Grass is Greener' campaign, which explores the growing disconnection between children's knowledge of food and where it comes from, Dairy Farmers of Britain asked a GB representative sample of over 1,000 children between the ages of eight and 15 which foods normally bought in a shop they thought comes from a farm.

As well as revealing a concerning lack of knowledge about where their food originates from, the results also revealed that understanding of healthy eating is linked to where children live.

City/countryside divide

The results reveal a large divide between rural and urban living. Those living in the countryside seem to be more clued up what comes from a farm compared to those living in cities and towns.

City kids are twice as likely to think carrots do not come from a farm compared to only one in ten kids in the country (19% compared to 10%)

Worryingly children living in a city are three times more likely to not know potatoes are from a farm (16%) compared to only 6% of their countryside counterparts.

7% of city kids think chips come from a farm compared to 4% of their country counterparts

98% of kids living in the countryside think eggs come from a farm compared to 94% of those living in a city

2% of city kids think pizza comes from a farm compared to none of those kids living in the countryside

Regional Findings

London kids seem to be lacking the most knowledge regarding their foods' origin, with one in ten (10%) not familiar with eggs coming from farms, one in six (17%) not realising potatoes come from a farm, one in ten (9%) failing to understand that chickens are from a farm and 8% not knowing milk originates from a farm.

The most clued up children seem to be the East Anglian and South Western children with many aware that eggs, (97%), potatoes (93%) and chicken (98%) are from a farm.

A shocking one in 10 (11%) of East Midland kids seem to be think baked beans come from a farm.

Phil Gibson, Head of Corporate Affairs for Dairy Farmers of Britain, said: "It is clear from our findings that children still need to be educated where their food comes from. Although it is encouraging that most children know where their food comes from, it is still worrying that many do not know the type of food that comes from a farm. If we are to combat growing health concerns such as obesity in the UK, we must address children's education, linking food back to the countryside and local food production from a young age.

"Dairy Farmers of Britain is committed in helping to educate children on the growing need to eat honest healthy food and making good food accessible to everyone. As well as eating healthily, people should consider how dairy fits into a healthy diet, where their food comes from and how it is processed."