Food Matters Live Podcast

When a female consumer walks into a shop asking for help with their hormones, their sleep or their fertility, how confident can they be that what they're sold is actually backed by evidence? It's a question a growing wave of informed, sceptical consumers is now asking louder than ever. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our London event in 2026, we have a frank conversat...

In this episode, we enter the Flavour and Colour Lab at Food Matters Live London 2026. Five conversations with the companies shaping what food tastes, looks and feels like. From raw material shortages and botanical extracts, to a Dragon's Den success story built on TikTok trends and a bath bomb-shaped meal base that's found its way into Ocado. We find out how the raw material pressures reshaping t...

Recorded live on stage at Food Matters Live, at London's Olympia London, this is the session that opened the whole event, and it set the tone perfectly. Food historian Annie Gray and Rob Lowery, VP of Marketing at PepsiCo UK, Ireland and Europe, sit down for a wide-ranging fireside conversation on where consumer food culture has come from, where it's heading, and how to tell the difference between...

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we explore the NPD Discovery Zone at Food Matters Live in London's Olympia. It's the section of the show floor where the next generation of food ingredients and technology is being shown for the first time.  Through four conversations with four companies, we try to answer one question: where will the food of the future actually come from? We learn...

Recorded live on the floor of Food Matters Live at Olympia, London, this episode is a snapshot of the conversations happening right now across the food industry. We catch up with speakers fresh from the stage or on their stand at the event: a food historian making the case for forgotten ingredients, a Michelin-starred chef turning industrial waste into meal kits, a consumer researcher on why flavo...

in this episode, we’re bringing together four of the most compelling talks from our archive, each focused on a different aspect of the same issue - sustainability in food production. We hear about a breathing cultivation system that captures carbon dioxide from any industrial source and converts it directly into microalgae-based food ingredients. We get into the science of upcycling food, that’s i...

This episode brings together four conversations on the topic of GLP-1 the science, the market data, the human impact, and the long-term strategic picture. We hear from scientists, market strategists, clinicians and food innovators on what GLP-1 actually means for the food industry, and what it means for the people eating differently because of it. Some market data suggests households on GLP-1 medi...

When did healthy become synonymous with sacrifice? And is that finally starting to change? Consumer expectations have shifted dramatically. Protein-enriched yoghurts, fibre-packed snacks and gut health dairy products are no longer niche, they're mainstream.  But the challenge of giving consumers what they want is no small one. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership w...

For every manufacturer trying to reduce saturated fat, cut sugar or lower their carbon footprint, there's a version of the same conversation: yes, but will it still taste right?  That question is where most reformulation projects live or die. The pressure on food manufacturers has never been more multidirectional. HFSS compliance, sustainability targets, cost of living, supply chain volatility, fl...

Protein has been one of the dominant stories in food and drink for years, but the conversation has moved on.  It's no longer just about adding protein, now it's about being deliberate: where it comes from, how it functions, and what it actually delivers. Plant protein sits right at the heart of that shift, and that’s the focus of this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership w...

Consumers are changing. What they want from their food and why is shifting fast. For manufacturers, keeping up means understanding not just the trends but the forces driving them. For food manufacturers, the pressures stacking up right now can feel contradictory.  Consumers want food that's healthier, but they won't compromise on taste.  They also want products to be more affordable, but their exp...

How does a trending flavour make it from a TikTok video to a supermarket shelf? And how do you tell the difference between a trend worth backing and one that will be gone in six weeks? The food industry has never had more data to work with, and never found it harder to know which signals actually matter.  In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, our panel of t...

GLP-1 drugs have been dominating health headlines for some time. But the bigger story may be what we still don't know. What if you want to leverage on your own GLP-1 production? What are your options and should you do it? GLP-1 is a hormone the body already produces, and that biological reality opens up a significant opportunity for the food and supplement industry to play a meaningful role in in...

No parent wants their child to miss out, and from day one that often means paying close attention to what goes on their plate - sometimes with more anxiety than confidence. So what's actually keeping parents up at night? What shapes their choices, what ends up in the shopping basket, and what would they do differently given the chance? In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in part...

Between 70 and 85% of new food products fail in their first year. And the reason often isn't the nutrition, it's the mouthfeel. When manufacturers remove sugar, fat or calories to make food healthier, they risk destroying the very sensory experience that makes consumers reach for that product again.  And consumers, it turns out, are unreliable witnesses to their own preferences, saying they want s...

Fibre is arguably one of the most important and most neglected nutrients in the Western diet. Sixty per cent of people are not hitting their daily requirements and, unlike protein, it has an image problem that public health campaigns have largely failed to fix. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, three experts examine the fibre gap from three very differe...

What if the greatest threat to your supply chain isn't a disease outbreak or a logistics failure, but a ransomware attack on a supplier you've never met? The regulatory and risk landscape facing food businesses has shifted dramatically, from The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, to EU Deforestation Regulation, and the increased risk of cyber attacks in food supply chains. In this episo...

The gut health market is booming. But if you can't make a meaningful health claim, how do you build a commercially successful product? Despite decades of research, billions spent on ingredients, and a consumer base that's genuinely hungry for gut health solutions, the industry faces a fundamental tension: the science is outpacing what regulators will allow on pack.  In this episode of the Food Mat...

Why has women's health historically been an underfunded sector in the food industry - and what do we stand to gain as that begins to change? With supplement launches carrying a women's health claim growing in recent years, and perimenopause product launches alone up 45% in 2024, the commercial opportunity is significant.  But so is the scientific gap. Women's health has been studied through a one-...

What happens to consumers, and to the food and wellness industries, when millions of people come off GLP-1 medication? With GLP-1 drugs surging in popularity, the food industry is already grappling with something far more complex than simply weightloss: who is this consumer, what do they need while on the medication, and crucially, what do they need when they stop? In this episode of the Food Matt...

How does the food we eat affect our immune health during different stages of our lives? In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Rotterdam event, a panel of experts reveal how food shapes immune resilience from before birth, through to old age.  They delve into the science, covering gut health, ultra-processed foods, the 1,000 day rule, and plenty more. The question is: is...

GLP-1 is the hot topics at the moment. But how do we know it’s more than just a fad? And could the emergence of GLP-1 drugs be leading to other, less pharmaceutical, innovations in the food industry? In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Rotterdam event, a panel of experts explain why the eveidence suggests GLP-1 medications do represent a true, long-term disruption.  W...

We're regularly bombarded with messaging around sports nutrition and functional supplements, but how can consumers navigate their way through what can be complex subjects? In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, three scientists cut through the pseudoscience and use real evidence to help us do just that.  We discover how hydrogel technology has enabled marath...

Why are UK retailers pursuing "health by stealth" with hybrid meat products while European counterparts openly label them as plant-meat blends?  In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, two experts reveal why the future of alternative proteins isn't about replacing meat - it's about making meat smarter through hybrid blending.  We discover that vegans and veg...

Can dehydrated vegetable scraps become the base for functional granola? And why do so many functional drinks fail at the most basic level - taste? In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, industry innovators reveal the missed opportunities and emerging trends reshaping functional food development.  Our expert panel suggests there may be a critical industry bl...