Australians are lucky enough to enjoy some of the highest quality fresh food in the world – but increasingly our kids can’t recognise how it gets onto our plates.

Instead of green pastures, and barns, some children trace the origin of products like potato chips to a factory.

New data from farmers co-operative Norco paints a concerning picture of what children know about how our food is grown.

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There were 509 children aged five to nine surveyed – with 15 per cent thinking hot chips are born in a McDonald’s fry basket, instead of potatoes grown on a farm.

While more than one in four believe ice cream starts in a factory, rather than a dairy farm.

Some were stumped about the origin of what goes into our trolleys, with 20 per cent thinking food from supermarkets would continue to be restocked, without farmers.

Survey results show that some kids do not know where their food comes from Credit: 7NEWS

Norco’s CEO Michael Hampson said kids need to be curious where their food comes from Credit: 7NEWS

Norco Chief Executive Officer Michael Hampson said some of the answers in the survey were quite funny, but there is an important message behind it.

“We need to bring out the curiosity of exactly where their food comes from, and the importance farmers have in every single day of their lives,” he said.

He said months of work goes into producing a bottle of milk – before it lands on our shelves.

“Having more people to experience what happens on farms and the hard work that goes in day in and day out to make it really easy for us to walk the supermarket aisle and pick up the fresh produce that we do I think is an important life lesson in understanding for our children,” Hampson said.

Rural food writer and farmer Sophie Hansen said the survey results were not surprising, given many kids have never been to a farm.

“Almost 2 out of 5 Aussie kids aren’t aware that without farmers we don’t have food, as someone whose primary income is farming, that was quite scary,” Hansen said.

She recommends time crunched families bring more fun to the dinner table.

“So we might not all have the opportunity to sit down at the table every night and have a big conversation about where our food comes from but if you choose Sunday night as a pizza night, so you make the dough, and then change the toppings according to what is in season and have those conversations,” Hansen said.

Rural food writer and farmer Sophie Hansen is not surprised that some kids don’t know where their food comes from Credit: 7NEWS

The author of cookbook In Good Company said when families get more involved, they feel more ownership of the good.

“Making them feel part of it, when you are back home getting the kids to scrub the potatoes, get the dirt off in the sink or chopping the carrots and being a part of it and getting excited about it. Because food and cooking is fun,” Hansen said.

Norco has also launched the Great Aussie Food Quiz to get families talking about farming and where our food comes from.