The concrete generation

A whole generation of children have never visited the countryside and believe instead that their food originates from the supermarket.

The findings have alarmed Prince Charles so much that he will today launch a campaign to get children back into the countryside and back to their roots.

A poll revealed that 1.1 million eight to 13 year olds have never set foot in the countryside and have no idea where spinach and rhubarb come from. One child believed that cabbages came from Asda and another said lemons originated from Birmingham. A third of the children thought that white bread was made with milk and brown bread was made with wheat.

The research follows other studies which found the average six-year-old had spent a year of their lives watching television while a fifth of them had never picked fruit and eaten it.

Prince Charles will launch the campaign at Highgrove today with a group of children who will be 'walking the food chain'. The initiative aims to link school and youth groups with farmers and food producers who can give them hands-on experience of how food is grown.

Thanks to The Daily Mail, 12/09/07

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