Britons ‘clueless’ about food they eat

BRITONS think bananas are produced in the UK, are unsure as to whether apples grow on trees or not and the majority have no idea where kale comes from, new research shows.
A recent study of 2,000 shoppers found many to be clueless when it comes to food knowledge with a quarter of parents in Yorkshire and the Humber confessing they couldn’t explain to a child where a potato comes from.
While a fifth thought the treasured pork pie came from overseas, one in 10 couldn’t identify the classic steak and kidney pie as British, and four in five people didn’t know that scampi is made from British caught langoustine.
Laura Whittle, a spokeswoman for Whitby Seafoods, which carried out the research, said: ‘Times have changed since we used to buy our groceries from local markets and shops.
‘Back then we could chat to a butcher, fishmonger or greengrocer about where their goods are sourced, but these days it’s harder to get the information.
‘If we really want to know more about what we’re eating, it’s important to check supermarket labels.
‘Brushing up on the facts before you grab things from the shelves means you can feel better about what you take home.’
 
The research also showed nearly half of those in Yorkshire and the Humber rate their food knowledge between ‘average’ and ‘very poor’.
Four in 10 were lost at sea over whether their seafood is sustainably sourced and only 16 per cent of shoppers look to see whether it’s caught locally or imported.
More than half said they have no idea where their regular fruit and veg comes from and 85 per cent admit they couldn’t be sure when various fruits are in season.
Despite past controversies over supermarket meat, many adults were shown to be oblivious over knowing where their groceries are sourced.
Seven in 10 confessed they don’t check the labels when buying meat or chicken, while 81 per cent said they pick up their milk without ever reading the bottles.
But two thirds said price is their chief priority when shopping.
When asked further about their knowledge of food, a third didn’t know a cauliflower grows in the ground, over half were clueless about how broccoli grows and 37 per cent thought melons grow on trees.
The results also showed that although scampi and chips is a British pub classic, just 20 per cent knew it was made of langoustine.
Whitby Seafoods, the UK’s leading scampi supplier, commissioned the study in order to better understand shoppers’ food knowledge and help enlighten them on what Whitby scampi is and its origins.
‘Making sure you get sustainably sourced food means you can do your bit for the environment and get quality produce in return,’ said Whittle.
‘And if your kids ask about their food at the dinner table, you can tell them about it too.’