Alle afleveringen van The Food Chain – pagina 6 van 12

Gabriella D'Cruz: Global Youth Champion

25 november 2021 · 29 min

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Gabriella D’Cruz, from Goa, wants to improve diets, transform livelihoods, and protect the planet using an often-overlooked marine vegetable - seaweed. Lees meer

Ruth Alexander speaks to the 29-year-old about her big plans for the underwater crop, and her hope that it could bring lasting economic and environmental change to India’s coastal communities.

Gabriella’s passion and her project’s potential saw her chosen by a panel of international judges as the winner of The Food Chain Global Youth Champion Award 2021.

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors:

Gabriella D'Cruz, founder of The Good Ocean;
Ismahane Elouafi, chief scientist at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

(Picture: Gabriella D'Cruz in the sea holding a basket of seaweed. Credit: Gabriella D'Cruz/BBC)

How a new cuisine is born

18 november 2021 · 28 min

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How is a new cuisine created? Ruth Alexander explores two unique cuisines in South Africa and the USA: ‘Cape-Malay’- a 300-year old tradition born out of colonialism and slavery that unites Indonesian and Dutch tastes; and ‘Viet-Cajun’ - a more recent phenomenon that has seen the Vietnamese diaspora experimenting with Cajun flavours in Texas. We explore how history’s darkest episodes can lead to some of the most captivating flavour combinations and ask why some people will cringe at the term ‘fusion food’. Lees meer

(Picture: Pot lid being opened. Credit: Getty/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Cass Abrahams: Chef and Author, Cape Town, South Africa
Mai Pham: Food writer, Houston, USA

How to cope with cooking burnout

11 november 2021 · 28 min

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Throughout the coronavirus pandemic some people discovered a solace and comfort in cooking, but for many others the opposite was true - the joy they had once felt in the kitchen evaporated. Lees meer

Tamasin Ford speaks to three formerly passionate cooks to find out what it’s like to lose the love of the thing you enjoy doing the most.

What’s really behind their ‘cooking burnout’, how have they tried to reignite that spark, and has this experience changed their relationship with food for good?

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors:
Helen Rosner, food correspondent for The New Yorker, New York, USA;
Yamini Pustake Bhalerao, author and ideas editor at shethepeople.tv, Pune, India;
Wayne Barnard, chef and ambassador for The Burnt Chef Project, Cardiff, Wales.

(Picture: A woman making cookies. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

One small change

4 november 2021 · 29 min

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The pressure to tackle climate change by altering what we eat is huge, and it can be a daunting prospect. But you don’t have to go vegan, shop 100 per cent local, or start your own allotment to make a difference. Lees meer

This week, as world leaders gather for a key climate conference in Glasgow, we’re asking you what small changes you’ve made to your everyday food habits to make them a little bit greener.

Plus, Tamasin Ford hears from a chef in Nigeria about the special role he thinks the professionals have to play, and we ask for one life-changing piece of advice from an expert and writer on food waste.

(Picture: Hand reaches for apple, Credit: Getty/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Michael Elégbèdé: chef, ÌTÀN Restaurant and Test Kitchen in Ikoyi, Nigeria
Tamar Adler: author ‘An Everlasting Meal’, New York, USA

And Food Chain listeners:

Annabell Randles: London, UK
Mike Hoey: Berkely, California
Simone Osman: Maputo, Mozambique
Yael Straver Laris: Geneva, Switzerland
Kate Minogue: Lewes, UK
Karine Young: Cape Town, South Africa
Jeremy Okware, Uganda
Rebecca Neo: Singapore

A farmer's nightmare

22 oktober 2021 · 27 min

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The UK food industry relies on foreign workers, but what happens when they stop coming?
A combination of COVID-19 and Brexit has led to fewer workers available to pick, process and transport food. For some farmers it has led to heartbreaking dilemmas. Tamasin Ford speaks to two pig farmers who face having to kill thousands of healthy pigs, and a salad farmer who has seen millions of lettuce heads rot in his fields. Lees meer

(Picture: farmer in field, Credit: Getty/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:
Vicky Morgan, pig farmer, Pockthorpe Hall Farm, East Yorkshire, UK
Kate Morgan, pig farmer, Pockthorpe Hall Farm, East Yorkshire, UK
Nick Ottewell, Farming and Commercial Director at LJ Betts Ltd, Kent, England

Last orders: Why I quit hospitality

14 oktober 2021 · 28 min

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The hospitality industry is facing a staffing crisis, but why have thousands of chefs and waiters quit, and why now? Lees meer

Tamasin Ford speaks to three former restaurant and bar workers to find out why the coronavirus pandemic prompted them to leave, and what they're doing instead.

We find out what, if anything, might tempt them back - higher pay, more sociable hours, or better work culture, maybe kinder customers? And we ask whether Covid-19 might really be the moment for industry reform.

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors:
Adam Reiner, New York;
Melissa Sosa, Miami;
Renée Harper, Phoenix.

(Picture: Upset waitress leaning on a bar. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The drinking experiment

7 oktober 2021 · 28 min

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Alcohol is part of the fabric of life in many cultures. It’s associated with socialising, dating, networking, even commiserating . But what happens if you take it away? Tamasin Ford brings together three people who decided to give up alcohol in a drinking culture. We ask them why and how they did it. What effect did it have on their lives professionally, socially, physically and emotionally? And would they ever want to drink again? Lees meer

If you Would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

If you have found any of the issues raised in this programme upsetting and are looking for further information or support - please visit
BBC Action Line by clicking on the link below.

Contributors:
Annie Grace - Author and founder This Naked Mind Colorado, USA
Andy Ramage - Performance coach, Essex, UK
Kate Gunn - Author 'The Accidental Soberista' Whitlow, Ireland

(Picture: Hand on empty bottle. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The bug business

30 september 2021 · 28 min

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Insects are cheap, packed full of nutrients, and farming them for food could help save the planet. Convincing more people to eat them, though, remains a big challenge. Lees meer

Tamasin Ford speaks to three insect entrepreneurs trying to persuade the squeamish, especially in Europe and North America, to overcome their fears of crickets, worms, and spiders, and instead see them as a tasty, sustainable, alternative source of protein.

We also hear that it’s not just the ‘yuck factor’ holding this fledgling industry back - should governments, chefs, and climate campaigners be doing more to support it?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors:

Joseph Yoon, chef and executive director of Brooklyn Bugs;
Marjolaine Blouzard, former co-owner of Bugs Cafe;
Andy Holcroft, founding director of Grub Kitchen and Bug Farm Foods.

(Picture: A dish of peas, carrots and worms prepared by chef David Faure. Credit: Didier Baverel/Getty Images/BBC)

Cooking by computer

23 september 2021 · 27 min

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From bread making to Thai cuisine, cookery classes have become a popular way for people to learn new culinary skills and meet people. But coronavirus lockdowns suddenly brought these businesses to a standstill. Rory Cellan-Jones hears from three cooks, who quickly pivoted to virtual cooking classes to survive. Could they get over the technical challenges, and can you really teach someone to cook through a computer? Lees meer

(Picture: mother and child on a virtual cooking course. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Fayruza Abrahams, Taste Malay
Rawan Al Waada, Rebels in the Kitchen
Sue Hudson, Bread Workshops

OCD, the kitchen, and me

16 september 2021 · 29 min

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Hot stoves, perishable food, and potentially dirty surfaces can make the kitchen a difficult place for someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Lees meer

People with OCD will frequently experience unwanted thoughts, images or urges - which may include worries about contamination or harming themselves and others. They will often use repetitive behaviours to relieve their anxiety - including washing and cleaning, or repeatedly checking their actions. All this means that both cooking and eating food prepared by others can become very distressing.

In this episode, Emily Thomas meets three people who have suffered from the disorder. They explain how debilitating the condition can be by describing just one aspect of daily life - the way they eat.

Contributors: Chrissie Fadipe, Shai Friedland, Patricia Grisafi

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this programme, please see the related links section at the bottom of this page.

The power of a photograph

9 september 2021 · 36 min

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Food photography is about much more than beautifully presented dishes in cookbooks - it’s also being used to change the way we think about what we eat. Lees meer

Emily Thomas meets three photographers to discuss some of their most powerful images - from a bloody scene in a Thai slaughterhouse to a display of human resilience in a refugee camp.

They explore why still images of food and food production can be a compelling way to communicate about politics, society, and economics. We also hear about the impact such hard-hitting photography can have on the people behind the lens.

To see the images described on the show, plus a few more, visit our homepage www.bbc.com/foodchain

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Producer: Simon Tulett.

Contributors:

Jo-Anne McArthur;
Dorte Verner;
Li Huaifeng.

(Picture: A Moken spear fisherman diving for his catch. Credit: Dorte Verner)

The unstoppable rise of starch

26 augustus 2021 · 30 min

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Starches are among the most important and versatile additives in processed food, but most of us know little about them and there are some we should be wary of. Lees meer

Emily Thomas hears why starch is a food manufacturer’s best friend - making pies crispier, cakes airier, and yoghurts creamier. It’s even used to mimic and replace ingredients some of us want to limit, like sugar and fat.

But although starch is a vital source of energy for all of us, some highly processed starches have been linked with negative health outcomes, and it can be hard for the consumer to find out which type they’re eating.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Producers: Simon Tulett and Siobhan O'Connell.

Contributors:

Peter Hendrikx, Ingredion;
Marty Jopkin, author of 'The Science of Food';
Fred Warren, The Quadram Institute

(Picture: Bread 'flying' in mid-air. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Is there a ‘chefsplainer’ in your kitchen?

5 augustus 2021 · 29 min

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Is there someone in your life who needs to have total control in the kitchen? Someone who breathes down your neck, micromanages your every move and can’t resist explaining exactly how to chop a carrot? If so, you may be in the company of what we’re calling ‘a Chefsplainer’. Or perhaps all this rings a bell because you are a chefsplainer? Whoever you are - this episode of The Food Chain is for you. Lees meer

Emily Thomas meets a married couple, a mother and son, and two friends to unpack their power dynamics in the kitchen. They explore why some people feel the need to take control over the cooking, how this reflects our emotional attachment to food, and whether what happens in the kitchen reflects or changes relationships outside it. Plus - why do some of us think that it’s ok to behave in certain ways in the kitchen - that we wouldn’t dream of elsewhere?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: couple argue in a kitchen. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Contributors:

Abby Saverino
Russell Newlove
Harriet Gore
Joel Gore
Louis Coiffait
Ali Potter

Is it time to kill the calorie?

29 juli 2021 · 32 min

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Calories are ubiquitous across most of the world and have been used to help people manage their weight for more than a century. But have we been counting them wrong all along? In this episode, Emily Thomas finds out how the calorie is a lot more complex than many of us realise. Lees meer

Historian Louise Foxcroft describes how this measure of energy became the darling of scientists and public health experts across the globe, and the unwitting bedfellow of the diet industry. Geneticist Giles Yeo argues that calorie counting can actually be harmful, encouraging us to make unhealthy choices, and Bridget Benelam from the British Nutrition Foundation explains why she thinks that despite all its flaws, the calorie will be with us for a good while yet.

Should 'junk food' sponsor sport?

22 juli 2021 · 31 min

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Sugary drink and fast food sponsors have become almost inseparable from sporting superstars and major events like the Olympics. But why are these epitomes of health and exercise aligning themselves with products linked to obesity, heart disease and diabetes? Lees meer

Simon Tulett explores the reasons for this relationship's long history and hears about the damage it could be doing to young, impressionable fans.

If this sponsorship is a problem, whose job is it to end it, and can it be done without leaving event organisers, athletes and grassroots sport facing a financial black hole?

Producer: Sarah Stolarz

Contributors:

Michael Payne, former IOC marketing executive;
Dr Sandro Demaio, VicHealth;
Tuhin Mishra, Baseline Ventures;
Tammy Aitken

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Composite of an American football player catching a burger. Credit: Lew Robertson, Rubberball/Mike Kemp, Getty Images/BBC)

Life lessons from the honey bee

8 juli 2021 · 30 min

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When it comes to food, we have a lot more than honey to thank bees for - more than three quarters of the world’s food crops depend, at least in part, on pollinators. But bee populations, we often hear, are under threat, and that’s largely due to human behaviour. Lees meer

Emily Thomas speaks to three beekeepers about the challenges of making money from honey and the complicated relationship between the human and the honey bee.

If we look carefully into the hive, she discovers, bees can teach us much about the environment, society and ourselves.

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors:

Joan Kinyanjui, Yatta Beekeepers, Nairobi;
Dale Gibson, Bermondsey Street Bees, London;
Ian Steppler, Steppler Farms, Manitoba.

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A honey bee on the end of a human finger. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The endurance diet

1 juli 2021 · 28 min

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When you’re competing in a round-the-world race and you have to take all your food with you, what do you bring and how do you cook it? Lees meer

If you’re scrambling up and down mountains for days on end, or swimming across an entire ocean, how do you find the time to eat, and what can you stomach?

Tamasin Ford speaks to three extreme endurance athletes about the planning, practicalities and monotony of these gruelling events. Is food simply fuel, or can it power competitors in other ways?

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors:

Dee Caffari;
Billy White;
Benoit Lecomte

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A runner in the 2019 Marathon des Sables race. Credit: Erik Sampers/Gamma-Rapho/Getty/ BBC)

The lure of on-demand groceries

24 juni 2021 · 27 min

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Do you need a lemon right now but don’t want to leave the house? Just download an app and you’ll have it in 13 minutes. That’s the kind of service you can expect from a swathe of new ‘rapid delivery’ grocery apps. Dozens have appeared around the world since the start of the pandemic, and investors have been flocking to invest, pumping billions into the sector. So are these apps the obvious next step in our on-demand lifestyles, or should they be a cause for concern? When it comes to food, can things become just a bit too convenient? Lees meer

Tamasin Ford hears from one company boss with big ambitions and a former competition lawyer who’s worried these apps could spell the end for smaller food stores. Plus, we travel to Istanbul in Turkey where people have already been using them for years.

(Picture: Man sat on sofa groceries being handed to him. Credit: Getty/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Alec Dent: Co-Founder, Weezy
Kaya Genç: Novelist
Michelle Meagher: Founder, Balanced Economy Project

The school that food built

17 juni 2021 · 37 min

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When chef Jamie Oliver launched a campaign to improve British school meals, it inspired one headteacher to take things much further. Lees meer

Charlton Manor Primary School, in south London, now grows its own produce, keeps bees and chickens, and has a restaurant aiming for a Michelin star. Head Tim Baker has also overhauled the teaching curriculum to put food centre stage - from learning about fair trade banana growers in geography lessons to slicing pizzas to help with fractions.

Tamasin Ford speaks to teachers and students to find out how they did it, and asks whether this could act as a model for how to teach our children about food's impact on our health and the planet.

Producer: Simon Tulett

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Students Sarah and Vaidas in the garden at Charlton Manor Primary School)

Contributors:

Students at Charlton Manor Primary School;
Joe Grollman, teaching chef;
Nick Shelley, gardener;
Flavio Hernandez, head chef;
Tim Baker, headteacher;
Kim Smith, TastEd and City, University of London;
Dennis Hollywood, teacher

Raymond Blanc: My life in five dishes

10 juni 2021 · 35 min

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The celebrated French chef Raymond Blanc tells Emily Thomas about his life through five dishes. Lees meer

From a childhood roaming magical forests in Eastern France, to the rather less enticing restaurant scene of 1970s England, Raymond describes how with little grasp of the language and no formal training, he quickly became one of the UK’s best known chefs. His restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, has been thriving for almost 40 years and during that time he has added a string of cookbooks, TV shows and brasseries to his name. Raymond explains how he balances being a gastronome and perfectionist with running a large business.

But we also hear another side to the exuberant chef. The past year has been perhaps one the most difficult of Raymond’s life - closing his restaurants, the isolation of lockdown, the death of his mother and being hospitalised with coronavirus for a month. He tells us why he thinks it will make him a better man.

Inside the mind of a kitchen gadget

3 juni 2021 · 27 min

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Meet the unsung heroes of your kitchen drawers. Lees meer

When you hold a vegetable peeler or potato masher, do you ever think about the person behind it?

We celebrate chefs and cookbook writers - but what about the people who make the tools that make it all easier?

Emily Thomas meets three product designers who explain the thinking behind the everyday objects we keep in our kitchens. We’ll hear about accessibility and segregation - but also art and beauty. Welcome to the philosophy of kitchen gadgets.

Contributors: Dan Formosa, Scott Jarvie, and Gavin Reay.

Do we need to talk about ‘ultra-processed food’?

27 mei 2021 · 35 min

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The Food Chain delves into the world of ‘Ultra-Processed Food’ - a term coined in Brazil that has been provoking debate around the world. Lees meer

Ultra Processed Food is a term that encompasses a broad range of common products from industrialised bread to breakfast cereals to chocolate bars. A growing body of evidence points to an association between their consumption and negative health outcomes including obesity, over-eating, depression, heart disease, and type-2 diabetes. Countries like Brazil are so concerned they are recommending people avoid UPFs all together. But in some of the world's most developed economies these foods make up, up to 80% of our diets, whilst the public understands very little about them.

Emily Thomas speaks to representatives from the food industry and people at the forefront of the science into UPFs to try to find out whether this is just another dietary buzzword that muddies the waters when it comes to improving the nation’s diets - OR whether it’s something we should ALL be talking about.

(Picture; Cookie talking in chocolate chips, Credit: BBC/Getty)

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Gyorgy Scrinis: Associate professor of Food Politics and Policy, University of Melbourne
Maria Laura Louzada: Assistant professor, Department of Nutrition at the University of Sao Paulo
Kevin Hall: Senior investigator, National Institutes of Health, Maryland
Kate Halliwell: Chief Scientific Officer, Food and Drink Federation, UK

What's the appetite for gene edited food?

20 mei 2021 · 36 min

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Gene editing could revolutionise agriculture, with some scientists promising healthier and more productive crops and animals, but will consumers want to eat them? Lees meer

With the first gene edited crops recently approved for sale, Emily Thomas hears why this technology might be quicker, cheaper and more accurate than the older genetic engineering techniques that produced GMOs, and asks whether these differences could make it more acceptable to a deeply sceptical, even fearful public.

Some are not convinced by the claims, and there are concerns that current regulations won't protect consumers or the environment from any potential risks. By putting their faith in technology, have scientists and companies overlooked other simpler solutions to our food security problems?

Producer: Simon Tulett

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A DNA model on a plate. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Jennifer Kuzma, North Carolina State University;
Hiroshi Ezura, University of Tsukuba and Sanatech Seed;
Neth Daño, ETC Group;
Philippe Dumont, Calyxt

Dan Barber: My life in five dishes

13 mei 2021 · 28 min

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In an illustrious career spanning three decades, there’s little that booking-writing, seed-breading, ‘philosopher chef’ Dan Barber has not put his hands to. Celebrated as the poster child of the ‘farm to fork’ movement, he tells Graihagh Jackson how a visit to a wheat farm called into question everything he thought he knew about agriculture and changed his cooking and ethos forever. Lees meer

Surprisingly though, Dan started life wanting to be a writer not a chef. Through five dishes, we hear how a failed stint as a baker, a baptism of fire in french kitchens and running a company from a mice-infested kitchen eventually won him over to the cause. We learn that an obsession with simplicity and flavour has taken him on a farming odyssey around the world, what coronavirus can teach us about the future of food, and how it all started with a humble dish of scrambled eggs.

If you would like to get in touch please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Chef Dan Barber. Credit: Richard Bolls/BBC)

The blind cooks

6 mei 2021 · 28 min

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Three people who lost their vision as adults tell Emily Thomas how they learnt to cook again, becoming so accomplished in the kitchen that they became restaurateurs, cookbook writers, food podcast makers and Masterchef winners. They explain how their relationships with food have changed, and why cooking with just four senses can make you a better chef. Lees meer

(Picture: Payal Kapoor, Simon Mahoney, Christine Hà. Credit: BBC/Julie Soefer Photography)

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Christine Hà, chef, writer and owner of ‘The Blind Goat’ restaurant
Payal Kapoor, host of ‘Rasoi ke Rahasya’ YouTube channel
Simon Mahoney, author ‘First Catch Your Rabbit!: Or Cooking Without Fear’

America's 'food apartheid'

29 april 2021 · 26 min

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Millions of Americans live in so-called ‘food deserts’ - areas where it’s hard to access fresh affordable food. For people who aren’t able to travel to other neighbourhoods to do their food shopping, this might mean microwave meals bought from the local gas station are the only way to feed themselves. Emily Thomas meets two people who live in areas where fresh food is hard to come by in Albany, NY State and St Louis, Missouri. They explain why they reject the term food desert in favour of ‘food apartheid’ - which they say addresses the food system in its entirety, including race. Lees meer

(Picture: two shopping trollies with food, credit: Getty/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:
Tyrean Lewis, Founder and CEO of Heru Urban Farming
Roni Minter

The man taking on fast food

22 april 2021 · 31 min

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Carlo Petrini is leading a food revolution - one that fights to protect local, traditional ingredients and farming methods in the face of a standardised, industrialised food system. Lees meer

From a protest against a McDonald's in the heart of Rome, to a network of more than 100,000 members in 160 countries, his Slow Food movement strives for a world where producers are fairly treated and the planet is better protected.

Carlo tells Emily Thomas the story of his life and activism and why he believes that a post-pandemic world offers a profound opportunity for economic, environmental and social change - should we choose to take it.

Producer: Simon Tulett

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Carlo Petrini. Credit: James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images/BBC)

How to love chillies

15 april 2021 · 27 min

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Chillies can be hard to love at first, but they are integral to the cuisines of many countries. So what do you do if hot peppers are at the heart of your food culture, but your child can’t stand the heat? Lees meer

Emily Thomas is joined by three cooks and parents. Each of them grew up in a food culture where chillies are important, but are now bringing up their own children in a country where hot peppers have less significance. We hear why you might want a child to develop a taste for chilli, how young they should be introduced to it, and whether you should ever resort to bribery.

Guests: MiMi Aye, Sunrita Dutta, Mei Li.

Portion distortion

8 april 2021 · 32 min

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Serving sizes have increased dramatically in recent decades. It’s happened so subtly that many of us simply don't realise, but it’s having a serious impact on our health and our planet. So, how can we reverse it? Lees meer

Emily Thomas learns how food manufacturers and clever marketers have nudged us into buying ever larger portions, leveraging ultra cheap ingredients and our own psychology. We hear that the phenomenon is so pervasive it’s also crept into the home, where many of us have lost any concept of what an appropriate portion is.

Given the increasing awareness of the poor health and environmental outcomes linked to overconsumption, we find out what regulators and companies are doing to shrink portions back to a more sustainable size, and ask whether the real answer might lie in a fundamental shift in the way we all value food.

Producer: Simon Tulett

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A woman drinking from a giant coffee cup. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Contributors:

Pierre Chandon, professor of marketing and director of the INSEAD Sorbonne University Behavioural Lab, Paris;
Theresa Marteau, director of the behaviour and health research unit at Cambridge University;
Denise Chen, chief sustainability officer at Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Hong Kong.

A year in the life of a Chinese restaurant

1 april 2021 · 26 min

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Anti-Asian hate has surged since the coronavirus outbreak, and some of the most common targets have been Chinese food businesses. Lees meer

Tamasin Ford speaks to three people who’ve witnessed the rise of Sinophobia first hand and seen it damage not only their livelihoods, but also their families.

They explain why they’re not prepared to stay silent, as was often the case for previous generations, and how they plan to use food in the fight against racism and ignorance.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A person holds a sign during a rally against anti-Asian hate in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Credit: Kerem Yucel/AFP/Getty/BBC)

Contributors:

Patrick Mock, manager of 46 Mott bakery in New York;
John Li, owner of Dumpling Shack, London;
Ying Hou, owner of ShanDong MaMa, Melbourne

Should the US abandon tipping?

25 maart 2021 · 27 min

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President Biden has pledged to scrap the 'tipped wage' in the US - a salary system where diners effectively subsidise waiters' wages. Lees meer

It's a move that's divided restaurant staff across the country. Tamasin Ford hears from those who want a higher minimum wage and an end to a system they argue makes servers vulnerable to discrimination and harassment. On the other hand, some staff are outraged because, they say, the changes could wipe out their chance to make double or even triple their hourly wage in tips.

With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the hospitality industry, restaurant owners too are wondering whether now is the time for a shake-up, and also how customers might react.

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A waitress writes notes on a pad. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage USA;
Dr Michael Lynn, professor of services marketing at Cornell University, New York;
Xian Zhang, co-owner of Cafe China and Birds of a Feather, New York;
Joshua Chaisson, president of the Restaurant Workers of America and a waiter in Portland, Maine

The food that broke through lockdown

18 maart 2021 · 29 min

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On the streets of Bucharest a woman unwraps a package of Chinese pepper ... and falls in love. In Portland Oregon, a family finds a new home - in a farmers market. A food writer opens her front door in London and finds a Chinese banquet waiting for her. On a cold winter’s morning, in a city 10,000 kilometres away from her family, a woman stands and waits for a taste of home. Lees meer

As part of the BBC World Service festival exploring how the Coronavirus pandemic is reshaping our social lives, Emily Thomas hears four stories of how food can bring us closer together when we’ve never been more distant from one another.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Two women sit on a bench talking, Credit: Getty/BBC)

Contributors:

Albertina Coacci
Tse Yin Lee
Fuchsia Dunlop
Schlifka Collier

Is it time to add vitamin D to food?

11 maart 2021 · 29 min

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Vitamin D keeps our bones and muscles strong, and now there's some evidence it could help protect us from Covid-19. With many of us deficient in the 'sunshine vitamin' could food fortification be the best way to ensure we're getting enough? Lees meer

Emily Thomas hears how enriched milk and margarines have helped to almost completely eliminate vitamin D deficiencies in Finland, and how plans to fortify flour could prevent devastating bone diseases like rickets in Mongolia.

As more countries are urged to act, we ask whose responsibility fortification should be - governments' or the food industry's? Plus, why is it so hard to get enough vitamin D from sunlight or our regular diets, and is it possible to get too much?

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

Contributors:

Kevin Cashman, professor of food and health at University College Cork, Republic of Ireland;
Amaraa Bor, operations manager at the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, Mongolia;
Christel Lamberg-Allardt, professor of food and nutrition at the University of Helsinki, Finland

(Picture: An optical illusion of a boy 'eating' the sun. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

How to feed a footballer

4 maart 2021 · 30 min

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When a footballer is around, does food simply become fuel? Emily Thomas is joined by the wives of two former professional footballers and the ex-captain of the New Zealand National team. They reveal how the game affects meals for the players and the people around them. We hear about the highs and lows of fuelling a professional athlete - from managing diet through injury and retirement, to turning a blind eye to 2am curries, to keeping all the chocolate hidden away. Lees meer

(Picture: Footballer shoots at goal. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Bex Smith
Prudencia Buxton
Shauna Muamba

Alice Waters: My life in five dishes

25 februari 2021 · 34 min

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Alice Waters is one of America’s most influential chefs and food writers. In the 1970s she led a food revolution that sparked a movement towards local, sustainable, organic food. Alice tells Emily Thomas about her life, from a suburban childhood in New Jersey to the radical politics of the University of California, Berkeley. She explains how she was inspired to set up a small French restaurant called Chez Panisse, after a trip to France as a student, and how it became a mecca for writers, chefs, musicians and artists. Lees meer

After almost half a century of food activism, Alice tells us that she still has plenty of work to do. She talks about her mission to educate children through her Edible School Yard project, how lockdown has focused her mind on climate change, and what it has felt like to see her beloved restaurant forced to close its doors over the past year.

(Photo: Alice Waters. Credit: Amanda Marsalis/ BBC).

Sourdough love stories

18 februari 2021 · 29 min

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A spongy collection of flour, water, wild yeasts and bacteria may seem an unlikely object of affection, but some sourdough starters are truly cherished, and can even become part of the family. Lees meer

Emily Thomas hears how one starter has been used to bake bread in the same family since the Canadian gold rush more than 120 years ago, and speaks to a man trying to preserve sourdough diversity and heritage by running the world's only library dedicated to starter cultures.

And a German baker, whose starter has survived Nazism and communism, reveals the commercial demands of maintaining it and why old ‘mothers’ (as sourdough starters are known) hold a powerful lesson for us all in nurturing living things.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

(Picture: A woman holding bread. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Ione Christensen;
Karl de Smedt, Puratos;
Christoph Hatscher, Bäckerei & Konditorei Hatscher

Has coronavirus changed school meals for ever?

11 februari 2021 · 33 min

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In March 2020, as countries struggled to contain the coronavirus pandemic, 90% of the world’s school children were sent home. With all eyes - and headlines - on the spread of Covid-19, it took a while for many to see that another crisis had been unleashed - hundreds of millions of children around the world were now going hungry because they relied on free school meals as their main source of nutrition. Not every parent had the money to buy more food - and few governments had adequate plans in place to help them. Lees meer

Emily Thomas hears extraordinary stories from Kenya and the US of how schools and charities fought to reach children throughout school closures. Could the coronavirus have changed school meals for good - and if so, why did it take a pandemic for the world to wake up to their importance?

(Picture: boy with school lunch. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Contributors:

Wawira Njiru: Founder and Executive Director, Food for Education

Carmen Burbano: Director of the World Food Programme’s School Feeding Division

Dr. Gabriella McLoughlin: Research Associate, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri

Nigella Lawson: My life in five dishes

4 februari 2021 · 38 min

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The internationally-acclaimed food writer and TV cook Nigella Lawson, tells her life story through five memorable dishes. Often filmed devouring food with a showy relish, she tells Emily Thomas how her mother’s bulimia sparked a life-long determination to enjoy eating. Lees meer

Nigella explains how a series of bereavements has led her to memorialise her loved ones through recipes, and why she’s become more protective of her privacy in recent years.

Nigella’s books and TV shows often give the impression of a gregarious host, cooking for a multitude of family and friends, but her latest book ‘Cook, Eat, Repeat’ and its accompanying TV series, partly written and produced during lockdown, show her on her own. We find out how she’s coped.

(Picture: Nigella Lawson. Credit: Matt Holyoak/ BBC).

Divided by drink: A tale from dry America

28 januari 2021 · 30 min

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Trump vs Biden isn’t the only issue that's been dividing communities in the USA in recent months - some have also been arguing over alcohol. Alongside November’s presidential vote, several counties and cities voted on whether to give up their ‘dry’ status and allow alcohol sales, many for the first time in 100 years. Lees meer

This week we hear from Bath County, Kentucky, which narrowly voted to go ‘wet’. Emily Thomas hears the story of this small rural community told by the people on opposite sides of the sometimes bitter argument - a pastor whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, and a young metal worker convinced alcohol sales will bring prosperity.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

Contributors:

The Reverend Lowell Rice, pastor at Owingsville First Church of God, Kentucky
Dallas Whisman, Bath County Alcohol Beverage Control administrator, Kentucky

(Picture: A broken beer bottle on a US flag. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The power of food emojis

21 januari 2021 · 26 min

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Do you give food emojis much thought? If not, perhaps you should. Emily Thomas hears how these tiny digital images can have a big social and economic impact. We reveal who decides which emojis are accepted and how you can propose your very own. Two Venezuelans living in the US explain why their brand new ‘flatbread emoji’ could be one the most significant achievements of their lives, and the emoji artist responsible for everything from the ‘dumpling’ to ‘bubble tea’ tells us why she sees her work as a calling, and how it has made her an unexpected cultural ambassador. Lees meer

(Picture: selection of food emojis. Credit: Lumen Bigott/Yiying Lu/BBC)

Contributors:

Sebastian Delmont, software developer
Lumen Bigott, graphic designer
Yiying Lu, artist and entrepreneur

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

The arctic eating adventure

14 januari 2021 · 31 min

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When the only road into her town was blocked by a landslide, documentary filmmaker Suzanne Crocker was shocked by how quickly supermarket shelves went bare. It set her mind racing; would her remote Canadian town - just 300km from the Arctic circle - be capable of sustaining itself? She decided to undertake a radical experiment: an entire year of eating 100% local. Emily Thomas hears how she grew, hunted, foraged and negotiated her way through the seasons with a cupboard bare of salt, sugar and caffeine. How did she persuade three hungry teenagers to come on board, and what did a year of eating local do to family dynamics? Lees meer

Suzanne’s film about the experience is available on FirstWeEat.ca until 1 February 2021.

If you would like to get in touch with The Food Chain please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: The Crocker family: Credit: Suzanne Crocker/BBC)

Yotam Ottolenghi: My life in five dishes

7 januari 2021 · 31 min

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The influential Israeli-born, UK-based chef tells his life story through some of his most memorable dishes. Lees meer

Often credited with bringing Middle Eastern food into the mainstream in the UK, he now has a string of restaurants and delicatessens behind him, along with several best-selling cookbooks, but he was a late starter in the kitchen - almost pursuing a career in philosophy instead.

He tells Emily Thomas about his youth in the vibrant and diverse Jerusalem of the 1970s, coming out as gay in Tel Aviv, and the huge impact of his younger brother’s death.

Usually reluctant to delve into politics, Yotam also explains why he’s decided to speak out in support of his industry during the coronavirus pandemic.

Producers: Simon Tulett, Siobhan O'Connell and Sarah Stolarz

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Yotam Ottolenghi. Credit: David Loftus/BBC)

Too many cookbooks?

31 december 2020 · 26 min

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Many of us love cookbooks. For some, they are a useful tool, and for others a source of inspiration. But then there are those for whom they are a whole lot more. Lees meer

Emily Thomas meets two people who are obsessed with cookbooks, collecting thousands of copies, and building emotional connections with each of them.

Irish food writer Diana Henry explains how books can become soulmates, and Californian chef Cindy Pawlcyn describes how it feels to have a collection built over decades, destroyed overnight.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: Pile of books. Credit: Getty/BBC)

What's food got to do with destiny?

24 december 2020 · 28 min

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What is it about garlic that wards off the evil eye? Why is rice sometimes thrown over the happy couple at a wedding? Lees meer

The way we grow, eat and use certain foods is said to bring us luck - good or bad - but why do we imbue them with these mystical powers, and why do these beliefs persist?

Tamasin Ford explores some of the most common and also unusual food superstitions practiced around the world.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

(Picture: Two hands pulling a wishbone. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Jayanti 'Jonty' Rajagopalan, owner of Detours India, Hyderabad;
Mae Azango, journalist with FrontPage Africa, Liberia;
Tasha Marks, food historian, London.

Lockdown food fails

17 december 2020 · 27 min

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Coronavirus shutdowns have seen many more people step into the kitchen to cook for themselves this year. Lees meer

Whilst some have boasted about the joy, comfort and delectable dishes they’ve discovered, it was the food failures that really went viral.

Three amateur cooks tell Tamasin Ford about their epic kitchen catastrophes and the valuable lessons failure taught them about food, and themselves.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

(Picture: A woman looking at burnt cakes in the oven. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Ngo Thi Viet Anh;
Heidi Allen;
Dan Nash

The chef who took on hospital food

3 december 2020 · 27 min

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Almost ten years ago, chef Joshna Maharaj walked into a hospital kitchen and was horrified by what she saw. Since then she’s been leading a movement to change what patients eat. Lees meer

But it’s not easy to make large cash-strapped public institutions up their food game, nor to win over cooks whose culinary skills have been reduced to opening packets.

Joshna tells Emily Thomas the story behind her new book Take Back the Tray - Revolutionising Food in Hospitals, Schools and Other Institutions.

(Picture: Joshna Maharaj. Credit: Joshna Maharaj/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Why the whale hunt continues

26 november 2020 · 31 min

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Only three countries still hunt whales commercially. They do it despite little demand for whale meat and sometimes fierce international condemnation. So why do they continue? Lees meer

Emily Thomas finds out why Norway, Japan and Iceland still kill whales for their meat and discovers that tradition, culture and a strong sense of national identity can outweigh all of these factors.

She hears why aggressive international pressure, particularly from environmental or animal welfare NGOs, can backfire, and speaks to the man behind a campaign that may have helped end commercial whaling in one of these countries for good.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

(Picture: A captured minke whale is lifted by a crane at a port in Kushiro, Japan, in July 2019. Credit: Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP/BBC)

Contributors:

JohnJo Devlin, BBC reporter;
Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, Norway’s Minister of Fisheries and Seafood;
Michal Kolmaš, assistant professor of Asian studies and international relations at the Metropolitan University in Prague;
Sigursteinn Másson, journalist and anti-whaling campaigner

Selassie Atadika: My life in five dishes

12 november 2020 · 35 min

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Selassie Atadika spent a decade working for the UN in some of the world’s most volatile regions, and it led to a realisation - that food has an essential role to play in rebuilding economies and bringing communities together. Lees meer

The Ghanaian chef is now on a mission to revive many of Africa’s lost or forgotten foods, and make the rest of the world sit up and take notice.

She tells Emily Thomas how, aged five, she was forced to flee her home in Ghana following a military coup, and why she caused a ‘scandal’ in her family by dropping her plans to be a doctor for a career in humanitarian work.

Selassie is now gaining international acclaim for Midunu, a nomadic restaurant she set up in her family’s former home in Accra, which embodies what she calls ‘new African cuisine’. She explains how she wants to use it to make the continent healthier, wealthier, and greener.

(Picture: Selassie Atadika. Credit: Selassie Atadika/BBC)

Opening a restaurant in a pandemic

5 november 2020 · 27 min

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Is there ever a good time to open a restaurant? Surely, during a global pandemic isn’t one of them? As coronavirus rips through communities around the globe, lockdowns are forcing tens of thousands of restaurants to close their doors. Tamasin Ford meets the entrepreneurs who are doing the opposite. We hear how a West African restaurant in London and a Chinese restaurant in LA are managing their openings. Plus, how putting food on the menu, became a matter of survival for one of London's top dance clubs. Lees meer

(Picture: Adejoké, Henry and Stuart. Credit: BBC/Adejoké Bakare/Henry Molina/Stuart Glen)

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Contributors:

Adejoké Bakare: Chishuru restaurant, London
Henry Molina: Good and Nice restaurant, LA
Stuart Glen: co-founder The Cause, London

How to enjoy eating with your own children

29 oktober 2020 · 28 min

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Mealtimes with small children, whether they are your own or someone else's, can be a far from relaxing experience. Dinner with a toddler can be a wild affair, leaving the adults around the table exhausted. Is this a key part of a child’s learning, or should we get in quick and teach table manners in the high chair? How can a parent banish mealtime battles and turn a child into a dream dinner companion? And what can we tell about our attitudes to food and parenting philosophies when we look at how we teach our children to eat? Lees meer

Emily Thomas meets three parents from around the globe, who’ve mastered the art of a chilled family mealtime.

Contributors: Pamela Druckerman, author of French Children Don’t Throw Food, Sherlyn Kim, CEO of Molly Manners Korea and Vaishali Sudan Sharma of The Champa Tree parenting blog.