I think that you are onto something interesting, perhaps something fitting
into what some sociologists call "urban legends." These include everything
from razor blades in apples at Halloween to organs stolen from people and
tend to have strong moral components and represent the concerns of the
people who transmit them. Typically many people know about them, but nobody
knows first-hand. If I correctly "read" your thinking, these stories about
where food comes from are "urban legends" among those concerned about the
food system, then an interesting questions (at least to sociologists)
become why these stories exist and the characteristics of those who find
them credible and worthy of passing on to others. Children's reports of such
things also need to be interpreted very carefully. Given the inaccurate
presentations of farming in children's books, in images used in marketing,
and in literature, theater, and movies, I would also be concerned about how
these produce inaccurate perceptions of our food system.
Gil Gillespie
>It's quite common in sustainable agriculture and other circles these days to
>lament the lack of knowledge among children (and adults) about where their
>food comes from. Typically, this exemplified by reports of children
>believing things like "The cereal grows in the cereal box" or "Milk comes
>from the supermarket." But usually the report begins with something like
>"Kids say that ... " or "People think that ... " I am interested in
>examples beginning "I heard a child say that ...," i.e., direct, first-hand
>cases. Also, "milk comes from the supermarket" could mean that it comes from
>the supermarket on its way to us, not that it originated there.
>
>I'd appreciate hearing first-hand (preferably verbatim) examples of children
>or adults who truly do not realize that milk, for example, comes (initially)
>from a cow.
>
>Willie Lockeretz
>School of Nutrition Science and Policy
>Tufts University
>
>
>