Youngsters should follow journey of their food

Celebrity farmer Adam Henson has launched a UK-wide campaign encouraging nurseries and schools to adopt measures to ensure children know where the food on their plate has come from.

The BBC Countryfile presenter and Cotswolds farmer’s #FEEDMETRUTH campaign will offer nurseries and state primary and secondary schools a way to show the journey of every plate of food they serve children.

“The appreciation and understanding of food starts with children simply knowing how and where the ingredients on their plate were produced, but many don’t,” said Mr Henson.

“Every school dinner has a story to tell – a journey. It leaves a footprint. We need every child to explore it and be inspired and learn from it.”

Technology from farmer-founded food provenance organisation Happerley will be made available in school dining rooms to show where the ingredients in meals have come from.

Happerley founder Matthew Rymer said the food industry remained one of the least transparent and consumers are not told the origins of most of the ingredients in their food.

He added: “By working through the food chain to deliver the full story of the ingredients that make their school dinners, our hope is we can create a seismic change in understanding for the future that impacts positively on their health and nutrition, the environment and sustainable food production.”

Details of the campaign, alongside a petition, can be found online at http:// chng.it/tWptvkpS