“Understanding about food and about what constitutes “healthy food” is an important feature of any strategy to develop healthy eating habits in childhood. Children need awareness of where food comes from – and how it is prepared – in order to know what to eat. Yet the results of the McCain Food For Thought survey show that many parents have an uphill struggle when it comes to building their child’s knowledge of food provenance.

In a time-precious society, family life is hectic, and both children and parents lead increasingly dynamic and independent lifestyles, so it’s not surprising that understanding about food has diminished. Eating experiences have become dominated by the need to produce fast and easy meals – where the food actually comes from and how it is prepared is of less interest. to young consumers The survey found, for example, that almost 1 in 5 of the children who took part don’t know that potatoes grow in the ground – and 1 in 10 actually think they come from chickens! Equally worrying, 7 out of 10 children revealed that they wouldn’t be able to identify a banana if they saw it in a fruit shop.

Children should have ownership of their own eating experiences. This can best be achieved through a combination of good food knowledge, awareness of what makes up a healthy diet, understanding of how meals are made, and a practical connection with food preparation. It is never too early – or too late – for you to start developing your child’s healthy eating habits.”