RantCrush Top 5: June 16, 2017

This may sound like a joke, but a shocking seven percent of adult Americans, or 16.4 million people, actually believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, according to an online survey by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. “Right now, we’re conditioned to think that if you need food, you go to the store. Nothing in our educational framework teaches kids where food comes from before that point,” said Cecily Upton, co-founder of nonprofit FoodCorps, which educates elementary schools students on nutrition.

good morning to everyone except the 16.4 million americans who believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows pic.twitter.com/wphtZlnaac

— elijah daniel (@elijahdaniel) June 15, 2017

An early 1990s study from the USDA showed that almost one in five adults didn’t know that hamburgers are made of beef. A 2011 study in California showed that more than half of the elementary school students surveyed didn’t know that pickles are cucumbers or that onions and lettuce are plants. Three out of ten didn’t know that cheese is made from milk. Researchers say these misunderstandings are linked to the industrialization and birth of mass-produced food. But with the rising popularity of organic and locally produced food, hopefully we’ll see changes soon.

good morning to everyone except the 16.4 million americans who believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows pic.twitter.com/wphtZlnaac

— elijah daniel (@elijahdaniel) June 15, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.