August 12/Food Business Week -- Despite not always eating what is good for them, kids know healthy foods from those that are not. A new study by foodservice consultant Technomic and kid-focused brand marketing agency C3 finds that nearly nine out of 10 kids surveyed say that fresh vegetables and fresh whole fruits are healthy. Other foods named healthy by kids included salad (78%), steamed vegetables (76%) and eggs (72%). At least half said that fish, cheese, chicken and peanut butter are healthy as well.

"Kids now are health savvy, and the nutritional education they've received will impact their choices as consumers," says Darren Tristano, EVP at Technomic. "Health halo attributes related to natural, organic, local and sustainable foods could present an opportunity in the coming years for restaurants that recognize this growing awareness on the part of young consumers."

From the August 17, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition