Children in primary schools believe fish fingers are made from chicken and cheeses comes from plants according to the latest research.
The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) carried out a survey of 27,500 children across the UK.
Nearly a third thought cheese came from plants and nearly one in five said fish fingers came from chicken.
The survey was conducted as part of BNF's Healthy Eating Week, launched today by HRH The Princess Royal.
Roy Ballam, education programme manager at the British Nutrition Foundation, said: "Schools throughout the UK require a national framework and guidance for food and nutrition education to support the learning needs of children and young people, especially at a time when levels of childhood obesity are soaring."
The research also showed that an alarming number of children do not eat breakfast each morning, which increases with the age of the children. On the day of the survey nearly a third of 14 to 16-year-olds had not eaten breakfast.
Healthy eating messages are getting through to some extent. More than three quarters of primary school children and nearly nine out of ten secondary school pupils knew that people should consume five or more portions of fruit and vegetables each day.
