Potatoes don't grow on trees you know

Sixty per cent of children believe potatoes grow on trees, according to research by the British Potato Council (BPC).

The study highlights a general ignorance about food production among children and parents alike.

“In a recent BPC survey one in three women admitted to not knowing chips were made from real potatoes,” said BPC marketing manager Kathryn Race at the recent Seed Industry Event, in Crieff.

“The GB potato industry needs to respond to this challenge and continue to press home the key messages that potatoes are healthy and nutritious and provide much of the essential vitamin C eaten by the general public,” she said. “They need reminding of facts like oven chips contain five times more vitamin C than a bunch of grapes.”

BPC continues to focus consumer campaigns funded by levy payers on educating children and parents. It reports hundreds of thousands of children have visited the BPC’s educational bus, taken part in workshops, school challenges, competitions or used the BPC website in the last two years.

And the council continue to target parents at the point of sale and through articles and features in newspapers and magazines.

Race urged delegates at the event to support the BPC’s latest initiative - a national school’s competition called ‘Grow your own potatoes’ designed to help children learn more about potatoes and other food.

“It falls on everyone in the industry to raise the profile of potatoes,” she added. “The industry produces wonderful, healthy end products that are full of the essential ingredients needed to remain healthy. Communicating this to children at an early age should help secure future potato consumption.”