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Our Children Don't Even Know What Chips Are Made From

Posted on: Monday, 7 November 2005, 12:00 CST

By CLAIRE HILL Western Mail

One in three children don't know what a chip is made from, a major study reveals today. And that is despite the fact that chips are most children's favourite meal. Nearly one in 10 thought they were made purely from oil. Others, astoundingly, thought they were made from eggs, flour or apples.

According to a survey by the British Heart Foundation, 36% of eight to 14-year-olds were ignorant of the basic food groups which make up much of their daily diet.

The BHF has demanded radical changes to ensure today's children do not die prematurely from heart disease, as it launched

a major campaign, Food4Thought, to get children thinking about what is in their food and how they can make choices healthier for their hearts.

David Napier, director BHF Wales said, 'It sends a shiver down my spine to discover that so many children don't even know what chips are made of. Kids have lost touch with even the most basic foods and no longer understand what they are eating.'

He believes it is necessary to strike a balance between banning foods and sparking children's curiosity about the food they eat.

With a further 440,000 UK children predicted to become overweight or obese in the next two years and a quarter predicted to be obese by 2020, poor nutrition is seen as a critical issue needing urgent attention.: 'Banning foods is not enough. Children must be taught why some food is less healthy':Gristle, bones and connective tissue stamped with a censored sticker, wrapped in a breadbun and covered in sauce has become the new way to teach children about healthy eating. The unsightly dish is part of a new campaign by the British Heart Foundation designed to stop children eating unhealthy food without a second thought. And the campaign is demanding the Government acts now to improve our children's diet to halt the burgeoning obesity crisis.

David Napier, director BHF Wales, said, 'Banning foods or telling children not to eat them is not enough - we must engage children in understanding why certain foods are less healthy than others, and encourage them to become interested in what's on their plate.

'This campaign is about talking to children in their language and sparking their curiosity so that they think about what they eat and start demanding healthier options.'

The Food4Thought campaign aims to get children - in particular 11 and 12-year-olds - thinking about what is in their food and how they can make healthier choices for their heart.

Janet Ryder, shadow education minister for Plaid Cymru, backed the campaign saying it was time we all paid more attention to the origins of our food and moved away from packaged food to fresh alternatives.

She said, 'A lot of these children have possibly never seen a potato, peeled and cut to make chips because a bag of frozen chips will just appear from the freezer. This is symbolic of how far down the way we have moved from preparers of food to consumers of food. We have lost the connection from where our food is coming from. If we are really going to have healthy people we have to turn that around somehow.'

Billboards across the country will now show that the common ingredients of cheeseburgers, hot dogs and chicken nuggets are not so tasty when put on full display.

After a survey by the BHF found that a high proportion of children were ignorant of the basic ingredients to many of their favourite dishes, the charity has demanded a radical overhaul of the way children think about food.

This includes endorsements from new mum Gabby Logan, Wales International Robbie Earnshaw, Girls Aloud and the Sugababes.

Some 600,000 Food4Thought action packs in an attempt to mobilise 11 and 12-year-olds. These packs, containing a magazine and celebrity posters and collectible cards, will complement the 5,000 teachers' packs being sent to secondary schools across the UK to get the issue into the classroom.

The BHF is also targeting the Government, food industry, local authorities and parents to call on them to play their part.

It has suggested three critical areas for change including stopping the marketing of unhealthy food and drink products to children, ensuring nutritious food is affordable, accessible and appealing for children and parents and providing children with opportunities to learn cooking skills.

Peter Black, chairman of the Welsh Assembly education committee, said that schools had to play their part in educating children about food, and not just putting healthy options on the menu.: What the Food4Thought survey found: What the Food4Thought survey found:More than one in three children (36%) could not correctly identify the main ingredient as potatoes. Nearly one in ten (9%) thought chips were mostly made of oil, while others suggested eggs, flour, and even apples.

More than a third of children (37%) also failed to identify that cheese was mostly made of milk.

Most children (71%) know that the recommended number of fruit and vegetables is five a day.

Nearly two thirds of children (64%) wish they ate more healthily - with boys most concerned.

Most children (57%) would like more of a say about what they eat.

Views on the junk food ban in schools is split down the middle. Some 43% are in favour of the move and 41% against. Some 47% of girls think the move was a good idea, and just 40% of boys.

More than a third accepted that a junk ban would probably lead them to eating less junk food.

Nearly a third (30%) said the expense put them off healthy snacks.

Children think the most effective ways to encourage them to eat more healthily are making healthy food taste and look better (44%), parents buying more healthy food (33%) and cool advertising for healthy food (29%).

Source: Western Mail

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