The survey of 27,500 children aged five to 16, which claims to be the largest poll of its kind, also reveals that over a third of five to eight-year-olds think pasta comes from animals.
One in ten secondary school children believe that tomatoes grow under the ground.
The research, conducted by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) to coincide with their Healthy Eating Week (3-7 June), also asked children about their eating habits.
According to the BNF, 16 per cent of primary children said they never eat fish and six per cent reported not eating breakfast every day.
While over three-quarters (77 per cent) of primary children knew they should eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, 67 per cent reported eating less than four portions.
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