Food from where?
In a recent survey in the UK of 1,000 adults, the following findings emerged:
* Nearly nine people out of ten didn't know that beer is made from barley.
* One in five didn't know yoghurt is made from milk.
*More than half didn't realise margarine is made from vegetable oil.
* More than a quarter thought it was made from milk or animal fat.
* Nine out of 10 people surveyed had no family connection with farming, whereas two generations ago, nearly a quarter of the population of the UK had relatives in farming.
* Two out of three had never met a farmer.
Irish firms exporting into the UK may have to re-design their marketing strategies, after the survey showed that urban Britain has never been more disconnected from its rural roots.
Exporters will also have to counter a major "Care of British Farming" campaign to help reconnect people with the countryside, while promoting British produced food.
In a similar initiative to Ireland's Agri Aware programme, several groups including the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and the Country Land and Business Association - have issued an invitation to the public to visit the countryside, to help them make better informed choices about food and appreciate the rural landscape.
