In a recent poll that was taken by the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy, a shocking statistic about Americans was uncovered. Using a survey to ask various questions, the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy determined a whopping seven percent of American adults actually believe chocolate milk is a product of brown cows.
Yep, 7% of American adults really believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.
Seven percent may not seem like a huge percentage, but when you account for the American population, that is a whopping 16.4 million adults! To put that in perspective, that number is greater than the entire population found in Pennsylvania! It is pretty shocking that so many Americans believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows exclusively.
Although this may be an easy topic for some to laugh off as ignorance, the big message from this statistic is how poorly informed a large number of Americans are when it comes to food and health education. Although food is a necessity for life, it is often easy to overlook a lot of the important considerations and just drive to the grocery store and pick-up what you need. This translates to food safety as well, where important lessons about food storage or hygiene are often overlooked and may result in illness.
This poor education on food and health goes far beyond just chocolate milk though. In fact, a Department of Agriculture study performed in the 1990’s revealed that 20% of American’s were unaware that hamburgers are made of beef!
“At the end of the day, it’s an exposure issue. Right now, we’re conditioned to think that if you need food, you go to the store. Nothing in our educational framework teaches kids where food comes from before that point,” explained Cecily Upton, a co-founder of nonprofit group FoodCorps, which works to bring food and nutrition education to elementary schools.
Teachers like Upton are striving to bring this food and health education to a wider audience. As of now, it seems the most food-literate individuals are the ones actually in the agricultural field. This cannot be the case for long though, as food safety and nutritional health are important components that can drive humanity forward and create a better world for all of us. Thanks to groups like FoodCorps, the new generations may just learn what they need to help create a healthier planet for us all! This important mission is crucial for us to increase food literacy across the country, which will help us maintain a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle for years to come.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
