Children are unsuspecting meat eaters: An opportunity to address climate change

Eating a plant-based diet is one of the most effective ways people can reduce their carbon footprint. However, global consumption of meat and other animal products is increasing. Studying children's beliefs about food may shed light on the relationship between eating behaviors and climate change. Here, we examined children's knowledge of the plant and animal origins of foods, as well as children's judgments of what can be eaten, using 2 dichotomous sorting tasks. The sample consisted of 4- to 7-year-old children from the United States. We found pervasive errors in their basic food knowledge. Foods derived from animals—especially, but not exclusively meats—were among those that children understood the least well. We suggest that the results may reveal a fundamental misunderstanding in children's knowledge of animal based foods, and we discuss reasons why the origins of meat may represent a particularly challenging concept for children to grasp. We end by considering the role that children may play as agents of environmental protection. •Children are not reliably accurate in identifying the origins of common foods.•Forty-one percent of children claimed that bacon came from a plant.•Children do not judge animals to be appropriate food sources.•Most 6- and 7-year-olds classified chicken, cows, and pigs as not OK to eat.•Children's food concepts may help to normalize environmentally-responsible diets.