Carried out by organic drink company Honest, a recent survey of 1,000 6-12 year olds found that:
- Half don't know that blackcurrants grow on bushes
- 6 in 10 are unaware that grapes sprout on vines
- 8 in 10 believe bananas grow on trees (rather than plants)
- 4 in 10 thought cherries originate from bushes
- 14% think melons grow under the ground
To help teach children about food provenance, Honest teamed up with TV personality Katie Piper this summer, inviting a group of children to join them at a fruit farm for the day.
Piper said: “I’m really excited to be working with Honest kids to encourage more families to get outdoors this summer, visit their local pick-your-own fruit farms and learn more about how fruit is grown.
“A pick-your-own fruit picnic is a great summer activity to do together as a family, and a fun way to re-engage with nature while learning a little more about where our food comes from.”
Despite their lack of knowledge, the research was encouraging, revealing that the average British child eats up to 10 pieces of fruit a week – listing bananas as their favourite (32%) followed by grapes (28%), then mango and pineapple (13%).
However, 30% have never picked their own fruit before and a further 75% have never visited an orchard.
To help combat this, Piper will be attending the GO! Organic Festival with Honest at Battersea Park this September (8).
Piper teaching children where fruit comes from in the video below:
The full list of fruits that children don’t know where are grown is as below:
- Kiwi – 96%
- Raspberries – 96%
- Strawberries – 95%
- Cranberries – 94%
- Bananas – 93%
- Pineapples – 88%
- Grapes – 59%
- Apricots – 53%
- Blackcurrants – 50%
- Satsumas – 46%
- Blackberries – 45%
- Plums – 44%
- Limes – 44%
- Cherries – 41%
- Lemons – 41%
- Peaches – 40%
- Pears – 33%
- Mangoes – 34%
- Oranges – 26%
- Coconuts – 26%
- Apples – 21%