A new campaign to help reconnect people with the countryside has begun as new research shows most Britons have lost touch with where their food comes from.
Nearly 90% don't know that beer is made from barley, a fifth don't know yoghurt is made from milk, and more than one in 10 people think we grow rice in the UK. The survey also revealed less than two in 10 people know that three quarters of the UK's land surface is farmland, with two thirds never having met a farmer.
The survey shows that urban Britain has never been more disconnected from its rural roots than in 2003.
Environmental groups are urging councils to commit to non-genetically modified food in the run-up to the elections on May 1.
Friends of the Earth has asked councils to pledge not to use GM foods in schools and to call on the government to prevent GM crops being grown in their areas. The group said councils needed to act before the government and European Commission decide later this year whether to allow the widespread growing of GM crops in Europe.
If given the go-ahead, GM crops risk contaminating local food, farmland and wildlife and threaten the viability of organic food, Friends of the Earth claims.
A growing number of councils have already voted to become GM-free areas, with those in the south west of England taking the lead.
Health conscious consumers are being misled by supermarkets capitalising on increasing interest in 'healthy' eating options, according to the Consumers' Association.
Health Which? reports that products from the UK's supermarket 'healthy ranges' are sometimes not as beneficial as their feel-good slogans might suggest.
Medical advice on healthy eating recommends that people limit their daily intake of fat, sugar and salt, as well as eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However the report claims that some of the supermarket 'healthy' options do little to reduce levels of fat, sugar and salt compared to comparable standard products.
It also suggests that slick packaging often hides products containing even more fat, salt and sugar than standard items, despite their premium prices.
