What U.K. children think about food: pasta comes form animals and fish fingers are made from chicken
A survey conducted by the British Nutrition Foundation has revealed that U.K. schoolchildren do not get the correct information when it comes to food and healthy diets.
The research, conducted as part of the BNF’s annual Healthy Eating Week, surveyed over 5,000 school children aged 5 – 16 years old and found some funny misconceptions that children have when it comes to food and food groups.
According to the survey, more than one in ten children, aged 8 – 11-year-olds, answered that pasta comes from an animal, and almost one-fifth of 5 – 7-year-olds say that fish fingers are made of chicken. The survey also shows that one in ten 11 – 14-year-olds do not know that carrots and potatoes grow underground. Also, one sixth, 14% of 5 – 7-year-olds say that bacon is the produce of cows, sheep or chickens.
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Teenagers are also not immune when it comes to these misunderstandings. The survey revealed that 6% of 14 – 16-year-olds say that dairy cows produce eggs.
And when it came to food groups, the confusions persisted. For 23% of 5 – 7-year-olds bananas, roast chicken, broccoli and wholegrain bread belonged in the dairy and alternatives food group. And for one sixth of the same age group bread, yoghurt, chocolate and salmon counted as fruits and vegetables.
When asked about their sources of information on healthy eating, a majority of children indicated the internet as a reliable source, followed by school lessons.
“Assuming that information about food and health gathered from these sources has an impact on children’s nutrition knowledge, and ultimately their lifestyles and health, it is important that we ensure all information is evidence based”, said Roy Ballam, Managing Director and Head of Education at the British Nutrition Foundation. “We can’t control what children access on the internet and elsewhere but we can ensure that teachers are equipped with accurate information. However, research we conducted last year amongst primary school teachers showed that seven in ten of participating teachers had not undertaken any professional development in ‘food’ during the past two years.”
The BNF is advocating for better nutrition education, both at school and at home, in order to correct these misconceptions and help children grow-up with a healthy diet.
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