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The Food Chain

The Food Chain

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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Why we love dumplings

Dumplings feature prominently in cuisines around the world.

Some, like the Ghanaian kenkey, or the Irish dumpling, are balls of dough. But in many countries they?re filled with other ingredients.

From the Russian pelmeni, to the Japanese gyoza, for centuries we?ve been putting meat, vegetables or cheese in small pouches of pastry, and making delicious snacks.

So where did this idea originate? And are all these differently named dumplings connected?

Ruth Alexander explores the history of this humble comfort food and hears how different dumplings are made.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email [email protected].

Presenter: Ruth Alexander. Producers: Julia Paul and Rumella Dasgupta (Image: Dumplings and bowls of dipping sauce. Credit: BBC)

2024-03-14
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The fifth taste

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter and... umami. Have you heard of the fifth taste?

Umami, meaning ?delicious flavour? in Japanese, was discovered by a chemist in Japan in 1908 but it took nearly 100 years for it to be recognised as a fifth distinct taste. It is described by many as a savoury or meaty taste.

In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about the chemist who first discovered umami, and the industrially produced version he created ? monosodium glutamate, or MSG. It?s a food additive that?s been the subject of health scares, but today it?s one of the most tested additives in our food and considered to be safe for consumption.

Yukari Sakamoto, trained chef and food tour leader in Tokyo explains how umami features in Japanese cuisine; she says miso soup is one of the best examples of maximum umami flavour. Professor Barry Smith, Director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses in the UK, explains the science behind umami and MSG. Calvin Eng, chef and owner of Bonnie?s restaurant in Brooklyn New York, is one of a number of chefs trying to rehabilitate MSG?s reputation ? he uses it not just in savoury dishes, but also desserts and drinks.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a bowl of miso soup, containing tofu and spring onions. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2024-03-07
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The school cooks

Three school chefs tell Ruth Alexander what it?s like serving up canteen food every day.

Find out how they manage hundreds of hungry child customers, what pro tips they have for making vegetables seem delicious, and why they all find the job so satisfying.

We hear from the USA, Liverpool in the UK and a school chef in the far north of Finland about the challenges of cooking mountains of meatballs, how to cope when the vegetable biriyani goes all over the ceiling, and why it?s one of the most rewarding ? but probably overlooked ? professions.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Producers: Hannah Bewley and Rumella Dasgupta

(Image: a plastic lunch tray with meat, vegetables and gravy, fruit and a plastic cup. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2024-02-29
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Is this ultra processed?

Have you heard of ultra processed food?

In 2010 a group of Brazilian scientists said we should be focusing less on the nutritional content of food, and more on the form of processing it undergoes. They created the Nova system, a way of categorising foods based on how processed they are. It identifies ultra processed foods as generally industrially manufactured, containing ingredients such as emulsifiers, stabilisers and other additives that would not be found in an average home kitchen.

A growing body of scientific research suggests a link between this category of ultra processed foods and ill health, although there?s still some uncertainty around why this could be.

In this programme we look at what ultra processed food is, how you spot it, and how practical it is to avoid it, should you wish to.

Ruth Alexander speaks to listener Jen Sherman in California who is trying to reduce the amount of ultra processed food her family eats. Ruth also hears from one of the public health scientists behind the Nova classification, Jean-Claude Moubarac at the University of Montreal in Canada, and from Pierre Slamich, co-founder of the Open Food Facts app and website, a database of foods that can help you identify products that are ultra processed. Kate Halliwell, Chief Scientific Officer at the Food and Drink Federation in the UK, which represents manufacturers, says evidence of harm from ultra processed foods is not yet strong enough.

If you?d like to contact the programme you can email [email protected].

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

Additional reporting by Jane Chambers in Chile.

2024-02-22
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Table talk

What do you and your family chat about at dinner? We eavesdrop on conversations over food all over the world, hearing about poetry, politics, what is on TV and how Morag?s leg is recovering.

Whether you gossip or have more philosophical debates find out how integral good communication is while we are eating, often marking the only point in the day or week when a family gathers together.

We learn why a matchmaker thinks a dinner date might not be such a good idea after all if you want the conversation to flow. And, psychotherapist Philippa Perry tells us how to keep the peace with the family over Sunday lunch.

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Hannah Bewley and Rumella Dasgupta

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Image: Family and friends sit around the dinner table. Credit: BBC)

2024-02-15
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Detroit's urban farmers

The city of Detroit in the United States has a lot of vacant space ? as much as a quarter of residential, commercial and industrial sites lie unused today.

In this programme Ruth Alexander meets the people who are growing food in their neighbourhoods, creating urban farms and community gardens where houses once stood. Mark Covington is the founder of Georgia Street Community Collective, and Tyson Gersh is the co-founder of the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative.

Ruth learns why so much land stands empty from the city?s official historian Jamon Jordan. Jamon explains the role of the automobile industry in bringing jobs and people to Detroit in the early 1900s, and the circumstances that led to decades of population decline, job losses and debt for the city government, culminating in bankruptcy in 2013.

Tepfirah Rushdan is the newly appointed, first Director of Urban Agriculture for the city of Detroit. She explains how she hopes to bring urban farmers and politicians together to find a way for food to be grown alongside new developments as investment returns to the city.

If you?d like to contact the programme you can email [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative a farm in downtown Detroit, surrounded by roads and buildings. Credit: Michelle and Chris Gerard/BBC)

2024-02-08
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Rebuilding Turkey?s food culture

In February 2023, two earthquakes devastated parts of Turkey. The disaster claimed the lives of nearly 60,000 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria.

In this programme Victoria Craig travels to the city of Antakya, part of Hatay Province, close to the border with Syria. It?s a region long famed for its cuisine, and even has special UNESCO recognition for its gastronomy. Since the earthquake a year ago much of the local population has left the badly damaged area, and food businesses in the historic bazaar are waiting for rebuilding work to begin. Victoria hears from the people of Antakya why food is such an important part of their culture and community.

Produced and presented by Victoria Craig.

If you'd like to contact the programme, you can email [email protected].

(Image: tray kebab from the bazaar in Antakya. Credit: Victoria Craig/BBC)

2024-02-01
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Is Chinese food the best in the world?

Chinese food is popular and successful around the world. But is it afforded the respect it deserves?

In some countries Chinese food has been seen as something tasty, but ultimately cheap and not very healthy, despite it being a cuisine with a focus on health, seasonality and gastronomic skill for centuries.

In this programme Ruth Alexander meets Fuchsia Dunlop, a British food writer who has spent a career studying Chinese cuisine. She argues that the food has long been undervalued in the West, and it?s time for that to change.

Ruth also meets chef Andrew Wong, whose restaurant A.Wong in London holds two Michelin stars, the first Chinese restaurant outside of Asia to receive that accolade. A.Wong operates on the same site as Andrew?s parents? Chinese restaurant in the 1980s and he talks about how the business, and Chinese food in the UK, has evolved.

And she hears from Rica Leon, CEO of ?Chifa?, a restaurant in LA that celebrates her family?s Chinese and Peruvian heritage. Rica explains how Chinese flavours and ingredients have influenced Peruvian food.

If you?d like to contact the programme, you can email the [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: A table of tofu dishes prepared by Fuchsia Dunlop, including mapo tofu, smoked tofu salad, shredded tofu leather, silken tofu with avocado, an imitation roast duck dish made from layers of tofu, and deep fried tofu served in a soup. Credit: Fuchsia Dunlop/BBC)

2024-01-25
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How to invent an apple

Have you ever wondered why the apple you bite in to is so crisp and juicy? And why it?s available all year round?

Apples originated in the mountains of Central Asia, and made their way along trade routes to Europe and then on to the rest of the world. They are now one of the most widely consumed fruit worldwide.

An apple seed will produce a completely different fruit to the tree it came from ? so new varieties have to be bred and cultivated.

In this week?s episode Ruth Alexander finds out about the science behind finding that perfect crunch, how long it takes to be able to taste an apple you?ve spent years planning and how to grab consumers? attention with a new breed.

Ruth also visits a wassail near Manchester in England to experience an ancient tradition involving cider, hanging toast on a tree and lots of singing to encourage a good apple harvest for the year ahead.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Ruth Alexander

Producer: Hannah Bewley

(Image: A bright red apple on a green background. Credit: Getty Images)

2024-01-18
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The preservers

Humans have preserved food to make it last longer for thousands of years. In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about different methods of food preservation used around the world, including pickling, dehydrating and canning.

Food historian and writer Darra Goldstein in the US explains the history of this art. Yukari Sakamoto is a trained chef and sommelier who leads food tours in Tokyo, she explains why people in Japan take the idea of a well stocked pantry seriously. And Usha Prabakaran in Chennai, India talks about her love of the Indian pickle and its role in Indian cuisine.

There are some important safety considerations if you want food to last longer, particularly if you want to store it at room temperature. There is a risk of botulism if food is not heated to the correct temperature for the correct amount of time, particularly for foods that are low in acid. Ruth hears about the laboratory testing done by Carla Schwan, Director at the National Home Food Preservation Centre based in Georgia, United States which tests recipes that can be used safely for home preserves.

Canning ? storing food in glass jars and heating it ? has seen a resurgence recently. Some enthusiasts refer to themselves as ?rebel canners?, which in general refers to people wanting to use recipes other than those that have been lab tested and approved. The ?Canning Diva?, Diane Devereaux a food preservation educator and blogger in the United States explains what motivates rebel canners, and the recipes she thinks are missing for consumers.

If you?d like to contact the programme, you can email [email protected].

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a selection of foods preserved in jars of different shapes and sizes. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2024-01-11
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Another year away from home

Ruth Alexander talks to two families displaced by the war in Ukraine, as they reflect on their second year away from home.

They discuss the difficulties of being away from loved ones and the solace home cooking can provide.

Ruth speaks to Natalia Lomonosova, who?d had to flee her home in Kyiv with her teenage daughter and has set up a new life in Berlin, Germany; and she visits Mariya Dmytrenko and her family, who are living with their hosts Brian and Julie Lamb, in Blackburn, England.

If you?d like to contact the programme, please email [email protected].

Producer: Beatrice Pickup

(Image: Mariya Dmytrenko and family with their hosts Brian and Julie Lamb. Credit: BBC)

2023-12-28
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Festive food stories

We take a trip around the world with BBC World Service presenters and listeners, finding out which are their favourite foods when a celebration is in order.

A porridge which is hidden around the house to ward off spirits, sweet and delicious pilau shared with neighbours and an ornate box filled with as many as 50 types of food in Japan ? we hear about what?s on the menu at this time of year.

Ruth Alexander has help from her enthusiastic three-year-old son to make a traditional Christmas cake for the first time and BBC World Service business presenter Devina Gupta gets stuck washing up after a delicious Diwali feast with her family in Delhi.

Producers: Hannah Bewley, Beatrice Pickup and Rumella Dasgupta

Image: Ruth and her son making Christmas cake, Credit: BBC

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

2023-12-21
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Feed your brain

Our brains require 20% of our body?s energy intake, despite making up, on average, only 2% of our body weight.

There are nutrients that are needed for brain health and development, yet many of us don?t think about specifically eating for our brains.

In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about the relationship between our gut and our brain, and the impact food can have on your alertness, mood and memory.

And just why oily fish, and other foods containing omega 3 fatty acids are so good for your brain.

Ruth speaks to Dr Reeta Achari, a neurologist specialising in nutrition in Texas, United States and Dr Uma Naidoo a nutritional psychiatrist and author of ?Calm Your Mind With Food?, in Massachusetts, United States. They are joined by Michelle Munt in the United Kingdom, whose blog ?Jumbled Brain? talks about recovering from a brain injury following a car accident in 2014.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Julia Paul and Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a selection of foods collected in the shape of a brain. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-12-14
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How to stop cooking killing

It?s estimated that more than 2 billion people use polluting stoves - with severe consequences for their health.

The World Health Organisation says 3.2 million people die each year as a result of the household air pollution they cause.

Ruth Alexander finds out why this problem ? which also harms the environment ? is so difficult to solve.

She speaks to Dr Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency in Paris; Sophie Odupoy from Koko Networks in Kenya; Naramath Lucas Kariongi from the Rural Communities Support Organisation in Tanzania; and Dr Mike Clifford of Nottingham University?s engineering department in the UK.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected].

Producers: Hannah Bewley and Rumella Dasgupta.

(Picture: a clay stove with a wood fire lit. Credit: BBC)

2023-12-07
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Pesticide exports

Many countries allow the manufacture and export of pesticides that are banned for use in their own countries.

Recently France and Belgium have introduced laws preventing the export of such agrochemicals if their use is banned in the European Union. The European Commission is currently considering whether to introduce similar laws.

Grace Livingstone reports from Paraguay where some small farmers living near soya plantations say heavy pesticide spraying is affecting their health and livelihoods.

We hear from the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Toxics, Marcos Orellana, who says that global pesticide regulations should be tougher.

And we speak to Emily Rees of CropLife International, which represents the agrochemical industry, who says different climates and soil conditions require different pesticides.

Produced and presented by Grace Livingstone.

(Image: a tractor spraying soybean crops. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-11-30
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Food for new mums

Seaweed soup, aniseed sprinkles on toast, pig trotter soup and fried chicken.

In this episode Ruth Alexander learns about what your body needs postpartum, and hears different food traditions for that time, from around the world.

Chinese-American author Heng Ou tells us about her differing experiences after the birth of her three children, and how an auntie making dumplings non-stop helped her.

Allison Oman Lawi from the World Food Programme explains the nutritional needs for the body in the weeks after giving birth and talks about how cultural traditions often get it just right.

Mengqi Wang in China tells us about her experience in a postpartum clinic and how she managed to break the strict dietary rules a few times.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander. Produced by Hannah Bewley and Rumella Dasgupta.

(Image: A woman holds her new baby. Credit: Getty Images)

2023-11-23
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Eco scores on food labels

The European Union wants to introduce one system for scoring the sustainability of food products. The new requirements are likely to be introduced in 2024.

Currently there are a number of different labels and symbols used on food packaging across Europe, and there is concern that this can lead to confusion for consumers and can be open to exploitation.

Russell Padmore travels across Ireland, hearing about the pros and cons from farmers, food producers, restaurants and consumers.

If you?d like to contact the programme you can email [email protected]

Produced and presented by Russell Padmore.

(Image: a woman looking at the label on a can of food, holding a shopping basket. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-11-16
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How to read a menu

Pan fried, artisanal, gourmet: there's a fashion for foodie words. Why?

In this episode, Ruth Alexander finds out how restaurants use language, psychology and behavioural economics to whet your appetite and increase their profits.

Linguist Dr Keri Matwick of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore explains the research that shows the longer the description of a dish, the more expensive on average it is.

Chef Caroline Martins of Sampa at Blossom Street Social Wine Bar in Manchester, England talks about the mistakes she made when she first designed her menus.

Sean Willard of Menu Engineers in California gives us an insight into the power of using a box on the menu.

And thanks to listener Simon in London who emailed [email protected] with the idea for the programme. Neither he nor we will look at a menu in the same way again.

Presented by Ruth Alexander. Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a woman holding a menu in front of her face. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-11-09
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Cooking in extreme places

Wherever humans go, whatever we do, we need to eat.

In this programme, we meet the people cooking at the extremes.

We hear about the chefs serving up three-course meals on Africa?s highest peak; the elaborate puddings created on stormy seas with a cruise ship pastry chef; the art of cramming enough food to feed 100 hungry sailors on board a nuclear submarine with a US Navy submarine culinary specialist, and tapas nights in the Antarctic with the chef at Rothera research station.

Presenter: Ruth Alexander

Producers: Rumella Dasgupta and Izzy Greenfield

(Image: Mount Lister in Antarctica, covered in snow and ice. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

2023-11-02
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Why is food so expensive in Ghana?

Ghana?s inflation rate is one of the highest in the world, much of it driven by rising food prices.

In this programme Ruth Alexander asks how Ghana went from being the world?s fastest growing economy in 2019, to financial crisis today.

Economist John Asafu-Adjaye, at the African Center for Economic Transformation based in Ghana, explains why much of the country?s food is imported.

Lydia Amenyaglo explains why historically cocoa has not been made into chocolate in Ghana, instead shipped elsewhere to be manufactured. Her family has farmed cocoa for decades, but she?s struggled to start a new business creating cocoa products at home in Ghana.

Ruth hears about the impact of rising food prices on school meals in Ghana. Might Kojo Abreh, at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration in Ghana, explains the findings from a survey of caterers, schools and students which found that some children are going hungry.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Beatrice Pickup

(Image: A woman with a child on her back purchasing food. Credit: Getty Images)

2023-10-26
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The rise of private chefs

This week, Ruth Alexander is exploring the growing market for professional home cooking and asking whether you?re guaranteed the luxury experience you?re paying for.

She speaks to private chef Juliana White, also known as Plate in Progress, about what it's like to cook for the rich and famous in The Hamptons, a summer destination for affluent New York residents.

Kate Emery, founder of Amandine International Chef Placement in the south of France, tells Ruth how she handles the big personalities of chef and client, and discusses the demand for private chefs from the middle classes.

We talk to one of the newer types of customers, John Holt, about why he's happy to spend handsomely to hire a private chef for an evening, and why it isn't always a success.

Italian-born Marcello Ghiretti treats Ruth to some breakfast, and explains the issues surrounding private chefs and professional standards.

2023-10-19
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How to feed a city

More than half of us globally now live in cities. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, that number will be closer to seven out of ten of us.

How can growing cities feed their populations?

In this programme Ruth Alexander finds out about the history of how cities grew to their current scale, and some potential solutions to meeting their food needs.

Carolyn Steel, architect and author of ?Hungry City? meets Ruth in London, United Kingdom, to talk about the role of transport and markets in making London the city it is today. Ruth hears about Tokyo, Japan, a city that has spread around ancient farmland rather than build on it. She speaks to Yu Tominaga and Mayumi Kawaguchi who own Hasune farm in central Tokyo, and Professor Makoto Yokohari who studies urban farming at the University of Tokyo.

In Namibia, our reporter Frauke Jensen Röschlau reports on the role of informal food vendors on the streets of Windhoek, she interviews Professor Ndeyapo Nickanor, an expert in food security at the University of Namibia.

If you?d like to contact the programme you can email [email protected].

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

Additional reporting by Frauke Jensen Röschlau.

(Image: commuters walking on a street in Tokyo. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-10-12
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Can you eat your way to 100?

What if you could reach a great age through your dietary choices? Imagine ? that the food you eat has a direct effect on how long you live. An appealing concept, but can it be backed up by research?

In this programme, Ruth Alexander explores the dietary habits of centenarians, to find out if there are any similarities in what they eat and whether their diets have had a bearing on their longevity.

She speaks to 100-year-old Betty Webb, to find out how much food has played a role in reaching a century, and discovers more about ?Blue Zones? ? geographical areas where some researchers claim people live longer than average lifespans.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: An older woman holding a slice of watermelon. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

2023-10-05
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Bonnie Garmus: My life in five dishes

Bonnie Garmus, author of the bestselling novel Lessons in Chemistry, shares the story of her life through five dishes.

Ruth Alexander meets Bonnie in her London home, to talk about the food influences in her debut novel about a female chemist turned TV cookery show host in the 1950s and 60s.

She?ll hear about Bonnie?s childhood growing up in California, her own personal experiences of sexism in the workplace, the adoption of her Chinese daughters and her relationship with her husband David.

Bonnie will bake a dish that features in her novel, ?desperation brownies?.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: Bonnie Garmus in her London home with a brownie that she has baked. Credit: BBC)

2023-09-28
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What's in a national dish?

Many dishes have become famous national symbols both at home and abroad, for example Italian pizza, or British fish and chips.

Whilst such dishes can create a sense of unity and identity, they can also be used to fuel nationalism, or to push a political agenda.

In this edition of The Food Chain, Izzy Greenfield hears the stories behind some of the most famous national foods, some based more on myth or marketing than historical fact.

She speaks to Anya Von Bremzen, author of 'National Dish', in which Anya investigates the origins of foods such as Italian pizza, Japanese noodles, Spanish tapas and Mexican tortillas. The Secretary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO, Tim Curtis, explains why some dishes are recognised for the community practices that surround them. Andrew Crook, President of the National Federation of Fish Fryers in the UK, and food historian Professor Panikos Panayi from DeMontfort University in Leicester, England, explain the complex history behind fish and chips.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email [email protected]

Presented by Izzy Greenfield. Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image:takeaway fish and chips with a union jack flag on a cocktail stick. Credit: BBC)

2023-09-21
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The taste test

Consumers have the buying power but how much are they considered when a brand decides to make a change?

In this edition of The Food Chain Ruth Alexander takes a look at what goes into developing some of the products we know and love.

We travel to the northwest of England to a consumer taste testing facility, Wirral Sensory Services. Such businesses would have been few and far between just decades ago but now they?re a big part of the research process when brands look to launch new products or make changes to existing ones.

Consumer expert Dr Sara Jaeger tells us about the benefits and the limitations of these tests and business consultant Samuel West talks us through some of the most well know failures in food.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presenter: Ruth Alexander

Producer: Hannah Mullane

(Image: a woman blindfolded, sat in front of a pizza. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-09-14
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The art of food diplomacy

As India welcomes the world?s biggest economies for the G20 meeting this September, we look at the role that food might play in top level discussions.

Food diplomacy is increasingly seen as a form of ?soft power? that can help build bridges and find common ground.

In this programme Devina Gupta speaks to chef Arun Sundaraj, who is leading the catering teams at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi which is hosting many of the G20 delegates. She visits the Colombian embassy in London to hear from the country?s ambassador about the role food played during vital peace negotiations between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC. Devina also travels to Glasgow in Scotland to share a plate of haggis with Scotland?s national chef, Gary Maclean and Lauren Bernstein, founder and CEO of The Culinary Diplomacy Project in the United States, explains why governments are looking to hire culinary experts to aid in diplomacy.

Presented by Devina Gupta.

Produced by Rumella Dasgupta.

(Image: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden raise two wine glasses in a toast. Credit: Getty Images/ The Washington Post/ BBC).

2023-09-07
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Feeding baby

Weaning refers to the process of introducing your baby to solid foods, alongside breast milk or formula. In the UK, the NHS suggests this normally happens at around six months old.

In this programme Rick Kelsey starts the weaning journey with his baby boy Albie, and finds out about some of the different approaches including ?spoon fed? and ?baby led? weaning. He also gets advice on how to deal with allergies and choking.

Rick Kelsey is joined by Katie Shelton from ?Scrummy Tummies?, Dr Sarika Kapoor who posts online as ?The Weaning GP?, and Rachel Childs, nutritionist at First Steps Nutrition Trust, a public health charity in the UK.

Produced and presented by Rick Kelsey.

You can contact the programme by emailing [email protected]

(Image: a baby being spoon fed, with food around its mouth. Credit: Getty Images/ BBC)

This edition was updated on 02/10/2023.

2023-08-31
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Stop chewing like that!

Imagine not being able to sit and eat at the dinner table with your family without feeling furious.

The little-known condition of Misophonia, often called ?sound rage?, is a lower tolerance to certain sounds. Although sufferers can react to several types of repetitive noises, many are particularly triggered by eating sounds.

Misophonia has not been classified as a clinical disorder, and there have only been a few studies into it, which means many doctors have never heard of the condition.

In this programme, Ruth Alexander meets three people with Misophonia who are trying to raise awareness: Dr Jane Gregory, a doctoral research fellow at Oxford University; Adeel Ahmad, the host of a misophonia-themed podcast in the US, and Olana Tansley-Hancock, a clinical researcher based in the UK.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email [email protected]

(Image: Young man and woman next to each other, woman biting into apple. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Produced by Julia Paul

2023-08-24
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Banh mi: A sandwich with a story

The banh mi is a staple street food in Vietnam and increasingly popular around the world. But how did it come to be a global sensation?

In this edition of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander discovers how the signature sandwich - invented during the French occupation of Vietnam in the 1950s - went on to become popular around the world after the end of the Vietnam war.

Ruth explores the traces of French history and politics found in the sandwich ingredients with former French diplomat to Vietnam Dr Bertrand Hartingh; and she discovers how it?s made at Manchester restaurant, Pho Cue.

And as Dr Quan Tran of Yale University explains, it's a tale of ingenuity, adaptation and family love.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: A banh mi sandwich)

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producers: Sam Clack and Rumella Dasgupta

2023-08-17
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The Little Italy story

Italian food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world, but how did it first make its way out of Italy?

In this edition of The Food Chain, Ruth Alexander uncovers stories of migration, food culture and legacy in the Italian diaspora.

Academic Donna Gabaccia explains why millions of Italians left their home country in the 1800s, creating new communities around the world that came to be known as ?Little Italy?.

Ruth visits one of them, in London?s Clerkenwell, to discover its history and how a delicatessen founded in the late 1800s ? still busy today ? sparked a love for Italian cuisine.

We hear from an Italian restaurant owner in Buenos Aires, whose Genoese ancestors put their stamp on the local food scene more than 90 years ago.

And reporter Kizzy Cox takes a trip around some eateries in the world-famous Little Italy in New York City to see how the local community is moving with the times.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: Five contributors in the programme, from left to right: Lou di Palo, Luca Fadda, Hugo Banchero, Giorgia Fadda and Nico Paganelli, in front of a Little Italy sign. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Elisabeth Mahy Reporter: Kizzy Cox Additional production: Veronica Smink and Matías Zibell Garcia

2023-08-10
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This kid cooks

At what age should you start teaching children to cook, and why should you?

In this programme, Ruth Alexander meets children and young people who are talented in the kitchen, making the case for why it might be worth the time and the mess to trust them to make dinner.

We travel to the north-west of England to Sefton Carers Centre to meet Paige Jones, aged nine, who cares and cooks for her mum, Rachel, who has a health condition.

Food writer Jenny Chandler, who has authored two cookbooks for children, gives Ruth some tips about how she can get her three-year-old son engaged in the kitchen.

And Ruth meets the young cooking enthusiasts sharing their skills with others: Keffa Liona in Nairobi, Kenya, makes cooking videos with his younger brother, Kisali, which they post online; and Julian Frederick in Texas, United States, is - aged 15 - the CEO of Stepstool Chef, which provides video tutorials presented by children for children.

Presented by Ruth Alexander Produced by Beatrice Pickup

(Image: Child stood on a stool in a kitchen, making houmous.)

2023-08-03
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Immersive dining

Immersive dining has become something of a culinary craze in recent years. As well as serving food, restaurants are providing multi-sensory experiences for customers; transforming their dining spaces into places where people can escape. In this edition of The Food Chain, we take a look at immersive dining establishments around the world, exploring why customers are increasingly choosing to be entertained while they eat, and asking ? is this dining trend a bit of a fad, or is it the future of eating out?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: Diners eating at tables surrounded by flowing water, at Labassin Waterfall restaurant in the Philippines)

Presenter: Izzy Greenfield Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

2023-07-27
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Africa's forgotten foods

The African continent is seeing one of the fastest rates of urbanisation in the world.

As people move to cities, and lifestyles change, so do diets. Many indigenous ingredients and dishes become hard to source and prepare. Others become associated with rural or village ways of life and are no longer seen as sufficiently aspirational.

In this programme, Michael Kaloki finds out about traditional dishes at risk of being forgotten. He cooks with his Aunty Naomi to learn about dishes from his own Kamba tribe in Kenya. He also visits Dr Kathleen Anangwe, Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Social Work and African Women Studies at the University of Nairobi, as she prepares a traditional dish from her own tribe, the Luhya in Western Kenya. He speaks to chef Selassie Atadika, who is showcasing indigenous ingredients and methods of cooking in her pop-up nomadic dinners in Accra, Ghana.

If you'd like to contact the programme email - [email protected]

Presented by Michael Kaloki.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: women transporting millet in baskets on their head. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-07-20
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What the wedding caterer is really thinking

Going to a wedding this year?

Spare a thought for the caterers - expected to put on ever-more elaborate feasts in ever-more challenging conditions.

In this episode, three wedding caterers - in India, the US and the UK - share anecdotes about demanding guests, make-shift hillside kitchens and emergency trips to hospital.

Warning: if you?re a bride- or groom-to-be, this programme might just give you a case of the jitters.

You can share your tales of wedding banquet triumphs and disasters by emailing [email protected]

(Picture: Bride and groom blowing out a candle on a cake. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

2023-07-13
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How I learnt to cook

Out of necessity, in adversity, or for the fun of it - how, and why did you learn to cook?

Ruth Alexander hears the stories behind people?s kitchen skills - the highs, the lows, the challenges overcome, and the connections made ? and discovers there?s often more than just dinner at stake.

Growing up in Germany to Japanese parents, chef Nina Matsunaga remembers having to step up to the stove when her mother was taken ill; the eldest of three boys in Cameroon, Timah Julius Nyambod made breakfast and dinner for his brothers while his mother worked as a food vendor; Janet Pollock describes teaching herself to cook as a young child inspired by cookery shows in Nashville, USA; and Rahul Raina is holding on to his Kashmiri heritage in Oxford, England, thanks to the recipes and know-how of his mother and grandmother.

You can contact the programme by emailing ? [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander

Produced by Beatrice Pickup and Rumella Dasgupta

(Image: Rahul Raina cooking chicken yakhni, a Kashmiri dish, with his mother Sunanda Dhar. Credit: BBC)

2023-07-06
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How did salt get so gourmet?

Salt has been a staple ingredient in cooking and preserving food for thousands of years.

It adds flavour to food, preserves it, and keeps our bodies functioning.

In recent years, gourmet brands have emerged and some consumers have been willing to pay higher prices for rock and sea salts.

Ruth Alexander finds out how this trend started and asks whether there?s anything special about speciality salts.

She speaks to Jess Lea-Wilson, Ronan Burns and Rob Jardine about how Halen Mon seasalt is made in Anglesey, Wales; Craig Cormack, ?The Salt Chef?, about the salt tasting sessions he runs in South Africa; and Rajesh Shah of Vikas Center for Development about how technology is improving conditions and profits for salt workers in the Indian state of Gujarat.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email [email protected].

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Julia Paul.

(Image: a spoonful of salt. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-06-29
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Can you feed a city from its rooftops?

Could our office, apartment and public buildings also be farms?

In this programme, Ruth Alexander meets the pioneers of rooftop farming, turning concrete into green spaces where fruit and vegetables are grown.

We find out about the logistics, the challenges, and whether it has the potential to feed city populations.

In Barcelona, Spain, she meets Joan Carulla, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday. Joan has been tending his private rooftop vegetable garden for fifty years with the help of his son, Toni. They?re joined by friend and fellow rooftop gardener, Robert Strauss.

Ruth speaks to Kotchakorn Voraakhom, a landscape architect in Bangkok, Thailand. She designed a farm on the roof of a university in 2019, the largest in Asia at that time.

And Mohamed Hage, co-founder and CEO of Lufa Farms in Montreal, Canada explains how they are farming rooftops on a commercial scale. To date the company has four rooftop greenhouses and an indoor farm, which produces enough food to feed about 2 per cent of the city?s population.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: Joan Carulla sat on a bench in his rooftop garden in Barcelona, Spain. Credit: BBC)

2023-06-22
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The power of heritage brands

Tabasco sauce, Lea and Perrins, Angostura Bitters. Those are a few of a very select number of sauces, condiments and tipples that have weathered changing tastes and trends over the years, even outliving their founders.

How do some brands manage to survive for 100, 150 or 200 years?

In this programme, David Reid lifts the lid on some of these store cupboard stalwarts to reveal the secrets of their longevity, heritage appeal, and what happens when a company tries to ?tweak? a winning recipe.

If you?d like to contact the programme you can email ? [email protected]

(Picture: Tabasco sauce bottles)

Presented and produced by David Reid

2023-06-15
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How did TV cooking competitions get so big?

Television cookery competitions are big business ? drawing audiences in their millions over multiple series. How did they become such a successful format?

In this programme we go behind the scenes with competitors and judges. Ruth Alexander speaks to chef Simon Wood, who won the BBC?s 'Masterchef' in 2015 and today runs two restaurants of his own in the United Kingdom; New York based chef Marcus Samuelsson, who has both competed in and appeared as a judge in multiple different shows including 'Top Chef', 'Iron Chef' and 'Chopped'; and food writer Gail Simmons, judge on 'Top Chef' in the United States for all twenty seasons to date.

Tasha Oren is Associate Professor and Director of the Film and Media Studies Programe at Tufts University in Massachusetts, United States. She describes how food television has evolved over decades.

And Ruth speaks to World Service listeners Mutinkhe Kaunda in Zambia and Andrew Laverghetta in the US about what they look for in a TV cooking competition.

Clips from 'Iron Chef Japan' used courtesy of Fuji Television Network, Inc.

If you?d like to contact the programme you can email ? [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a hand holding up a trophy. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-06-08
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Let?s take a lunch break!

A lunch break can tell you quite a lot about a country?s work culture; ranging from two-hour, luxuriant pauses in some parts of the world, to a couple of minutes, snack-in-hand at a desk, in others.

For decades, people have built up camaraderie by meeting informally and in person, but technology and the pandemic have changed that.

In this programme, Ruth Alexander goes in search of the meaning and purpose of the lunch break; from power lunches in the heady world of international finance, to a simple snack and a chat with a colleague, and asks, what do we stand to lose if we don?t take a proper break?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: Two female colleagues, laughing over a meal. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

2023-06-01
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Teaching tomorrow's chefs

Why go to culinary school when you could learn on the job?

Three trained chefs-turned teachers make the case for learning the basics and getting a qualification that could open doors in a competitive world.

In this programme Ruth Alexander hears what it takes to be a great culinary teacher. She speaks to Gary Maclean, Executive Chef at City of Glasgow College in the UK, he?s Scotland?s national chef and won the BBC?s Masterchef the Professionals in 2016; Suzanne Storms, Assistant Professor at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong where she manages the culinary arts and management degree; and Alexandra Didier, Chef Instructor at Le Cordon Bleu Paris.

If you?d like to contact the programme you can email us ? [email protected]

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a chef instructs a student in a kitchen classroom. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-05-25
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Is the food you?re eating what you think it is?

How can you be sure you?re eating what you think you?re eating? In most cases, food fraud won?t make you ill, but you won?t be getting quite what you?re paying for. In this programme, Ruth Alexander hears why high food prices and the war in Ukraine mean food fraud is more likely to happen. She visits a laboratory in Belfast in Northern Ireland, where food products are analysed to sort what?s real and what?s fake, and she speaks to a food fraud investigator who tells us just how difficult it is to stop the criminals. And we hear from a spice market in Delhi where vendors and shoppers tell us how they try to avoid fake products.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

(Image: A row of jars of spices, but the one in the middle is highlighted. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-05-18
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Should we farm octopus?

The world?s first octopus farm is being planned by a Spanish seafood multinational.

The intelligent creatures are difficult to rear in captivity, but numerous companies around the world have been trying and Nueva Pescanova has announced it?s close to making an octopus farm a reality.

Scientists and animal welfare groups have objected to the plans.

Nueva Pescanova says the company?s priority is to guarantee animal welfare by applying to the cultivation process the conditions of the species in the wild.

Ruth Alexander finds out more about both sides of the debate with the BBC?s Environment and Rural Affairs correspondent, Claire Marshall, who has been closely following the story from the beginning.

She speaks to Dr Heather Browning, Lecturer in Philosophy at Southampton University in the UK and former zoo-keeper, about the capacity of octopuses to experience feelings; and how we form our opinions about what we should and shouldn?t farm.

And she finds out why octopus is central to Japanese cuisine with food writer and host of Japan Eats! podcast, Akiko Katayama.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: an octopus with curling tentacles. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-05-11
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A dish fit for the King

The crowning of a British monarch calls for an official dish. In 1953, for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, it was a curry and mayonnaise chicken dish. This time around, King Charles III has selected a quiche - the principle of the shareable tart being to inspire the public to join in a celebratory lunch.

It may sound fairly simple, but as Ruth Alexander discovers in this programme, a lot lies behind the commemorative dish.

Ruth asks why the new King wants his crowning moment to be marked with home-baking, what opportunities royal-inspired food offers, and what the monarch?s culinary choice might tell us about this moment in time.

She visits a farm shop in Warwickshire, in the British Midlands, where owner Michelle Edkins has been baking and serving up a spread of dishes to mark the big occasion.

Muhammed Ali, the owner of an Indian restaurant in the neighbouring county of Staffordshire, tells Ruth about a new Coronation-themed curry he?s put on his menu to capture the moment.

Food historian, Dr Rachel Rich, puts the official quiche into historical context.

And Dame Prue Leith, South African-British celebrity cook and judge, gives her verdict on the dish and considers whether its simplicity and choice of ingredients signal something about the new monarch.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: King Charles III having tea. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

2023-05-04
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The growth of GM food

Genetically-modified food has long been a subject of debate. It was first introduced to market in the United States in the mid 90s.

Since then, some governments have approved the cultivation and sale of GM food, whilst others have had bans in place.

In this programme, we look at attempts by India and Kenya to approve genetically-modified food crops, and ask if lessons can be learnt from the United States where GM foods have been consumed for decades.

Today there are lots of different genetic-engineering techniques in use. Generally, genetic modification refers to organisms created with particular characteristics, using some genetic material from a different organism.

Ruth Alexander is joined by Devina Gupta, from Business Daily on the BBC World Service, who can explain the latest developments in India, where the government wants farmers to plant genetically-modified mustard.

Ruth also speaks to Roy Mugiira, chief executive of the National Bio Safety Authority Kenya, the government appointed regulator for GM products. In Kenya, the government has lifted a 10-year ban on GM, and approved the use of GM maize, a staple crop.

And Professor Jennifer Kuzma, co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University, talks about how labelling can help give consumers choice over whether they eat GM.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: field of corn. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

2023-04-27
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How AI could design our diets

Every day, humans make multiple choices about what to eat. Some of those decisions will be better for our health than others - but what if we allowed a machine to decide for us?

In this programme, Adam Shaw explores what would happen if we let artificial intelligence (AI) design our diets and whether that might improve our health.

Adam visits a laboratory in the UK to meet AI researcher Dr James Neil, from the Centre for Nutrition Education & Lifestyle Management, whose company is developing machine-learning systems to create personalised diets.

He speaks to dietician Pennie McCoy, to find out how a digital therapist called ?Hope? is learning to help Australians stay on track with their weight-loss goals.

Dr Mariette Abrahams, dietician and CEO of Qina, a company in Portugal which offers strategic advice on the personalised nutritional market, tells Adam about the potential and the pitfalls of the new tools.

And Dr Eric Topol, professor of molecular medicine and executive vice president of Scripps Research in the US, considers whether AI-driven diets will be used for a small group of people, or whether the technology could fundamentally change everyone?s approach to food.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

(Picture: A robot hand and a human hand both reaching out to grab an apple. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

2023-04-21
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Is this the end of the British caff?

The British "caff" - slang for café, and home of the breakfast fry up, or "full english" - is under threat. Many have closed, struggling to compete with changing tastes and the success of chains.

Many of Britain?s historic caffs opened in the 1940s and 50s, run by Italian migrants. Some of these original caffs are still trading, run by second and third generation Italian families.

In this programme Ruth Alexander hears stories of the famous caffs that have closed for good, and goes in search of caffs still going. She?s joined by actor Michael Simkins, who has relied on hearty caff fare during a 40-year career in the theatres of London?s West End, and meets actor and director Mark Gatiss, who is finding it increasingly hard to find a good cup of tea in the capital.

Ruth visits cafes that have been operating for decades ? Bar Bruno in Soho, and Dino?s Café in east London, to learn exactly what their customers love so much about the traditional British caff.

Restaurant sector consultant James Hacon describes the changes seen in the hospitality industry in the last twenty years, and why caffs now face such stiff competition.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email - [email protected].

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: Ernie Fiori proprietor of Dino?s Café at New Spitalfields Market, East London, holding up his tea pot. Credit: BBC)

2023-04-13
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Can small farms feed the world?

What?s the best way to produce affordable food, that?s good for the planet, and can feed us all? Is it even possible to have all three?

In this programme, Grace Livingstone visits small and large farms in England and Argentina. She hears the case made for organic farming, and asks if it?s feasible for organic farms to produce enough food to feed a country.

At a larger farm, she hears about why farmers rely on fertilisers and herbicides to produce large volumes of affordable food. Is it possible to farm in a way that increases biodiversity and protects the environment, whilst also remaining competitive?

And what can we do as consumers to encourage and support greener farming?

(Picture: Farmers Lizzie and Rob Walrond standing by a farm gate)

Presented and produced by Grace Livingstone

2023-04-06
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Bringing dark kitchens into the light

Dark kitchens are the multi-block commercial units allowing virtual brands and events companies to prepare and deliver food. They?ve got a mysterious reputation, sometimes also called ghost kitchens, so The Food Chain wanted to see how they have expanded since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this episode, presenter Rick Kelsey speaks to chefs who buy a place in them, and to the owners who build them. Gini and Eccie Newton run Karma Kitchen, one of the fastest growing dark kitchens in Europe. They describe how much it costs to move in, how the model has changed, and respond to the restrictions put in by local governments on the kitchens in Barcelona, France and the Netherlands.

Peter Cook is someone who knows the owners of the biggest dark kitchens in the world. He has recently returned from Amsterdam where he ran the Ghost Kitchen conference, and explains how PR around the kitchens is improving as they become more open spaces.

And Yousif Kurdi runs Your Kitchen across the Netherlands, including in Amsterdam. He tells Rick how working with the locals is always good for business.

(Picture: A woman packing a paper delivery bag. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Presented and produced by Rick Kelsey

2023-03-30
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