Today 5,500 children from schools across the East of England region are coming together for the third annual Kids Country Food and Farming Day. Food & Farming Day is the largest educational farming event of its kind in the UK, and aims to teach children where food comes from and the importance of agriculture and the countryside.

The event, held at the East of England Showground, is welcoming children from 48 schools and will give them an interactive experience of rural life and farming. The annual event is organised by the East of England Agricultural Society and is the culmination of its education programme, which is delivered to over 8,000 children each year. It has become so popular that over 600 volunteers and exhibitors have given up their time to make it happen this year.

The event features 11 different food and farming zones, all of which deliver hands-on farm and food related activities. The showground’s livestock buildings play host to a variety of animals from goats, Shire horses, to alpacas, while the use of interactive exhibitions from a variety of leading industry suppliers such as Kellogg’s, Albert Bartlett, Bonne Maman jam and Arla, means children will be able to experience the journey of food, from farm to fork. Exhibitors will teach children how to grind flour, pop popcorn, taste apples and churn butter, to highlight the importance of agriculture through providing a deeper understanding of food.

Commenting on the importance of the Food & Farming Event, Sandra Laurisden, Education Manager at Kids Country, said: “Kids Country Food and Farming Day provides children with an opportunity to learn all about agriculture in a fun and exciting way. It is important for children to understand where their food comes from and how it is grown and produced, and so events such as these provide a wonderful learning occasion for them and their teachers alike.

“We are thrilled that so many children will enjoy the event this year, which is a real testament to how important their schools and teachers think interactive learning is.”

The event is sponsored by the Tesco Eat Happy Project, which will broadcast its online field trip live from the event. Josh Hardie, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Tesco commented on their involvement: “Tesco Eat Happy initiative is delighted to be a part of Food and Farming Day, the event is fundamental in helping achieve our vision of giving children a better relationship with food and it goes hand in hand with our ‘Eat Happy’ project which fuels children's passion about where their food comes from and how to cook healthy meals.”