Food Matters Live Podcast

Carlsberg is one of the biggest beer companies in the world, so working as its Sustainability Manager can mean making small changes that have a big impact. For the last three years, Pete Statham has been doing just that. In this episode of Table Talk, he tells Stefan Gates about how a switch to more sustainable packaging was a commercial success for the firm, and how it worked with competitors to...

When the UK Government published its Obesity Strategy in 2020, many critics argued it didn't go far enough. Now, an alliance of organisations, ranging from doctors to dentists and charities to campaign groups, have come together to set out their vision for change. In this episode of the Table Talk Podcast, Caroline Cerny, Alliance Lead at the Obesity Health Alliance, joins Stefan Gates to set out...

Ever wondered how Waitrose creates its compelling food images and unique photography style? Or how Tesco’s food photos perfectly reflect their brand? Well wonder no more as Stefan is joined by award-winning food photographer to the stars, Georgia Glynn Smith.  Georgia has worked with some of the nation’s most famous and much-loved cooks from Nigella to Nigel, along with many well-known food and dr...

Dorothy Shaver is Global Marketing Sustainability Lead at Unilever – but how did a self-confessed “hippie at heart” end up working for one of the world’s biggest companies? And how does she go about getting it to think and act in a more sustainable way? As part of our Green Jobs series, Dorothy joins Stefan Gates to talk about her journey. She reveals how she helped Unilever play a proactive role...

Trying to get kids to eat their 5 a day can be a losing battle, but a battle that one man is brave to enough to take on. Dan Power, Chief Executive of Veg Power, and mastermind behind the Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign, joins Stefan Gates to talk about how a campaign to overpower veg has helped to increase vegetable sales by 500 million children’s portions.  Dan shares his passion and ambition t...

This episode delves further into our exploration of food science and nutrition and continues to explore just how food affects our bodies.  Protein is often see as the magic ingredient in our diets, the key to unlocking our fitness and strength – but are these spurious health claims or does protein provide genuine health benefits? Richard MacKenzie, Director for Sport & Exercise Science Researc...

The food industry in Denmark is renowned for ambitious sustainable goals. This episode gathers a top panel of Danish experts who describe how the sector is working collaboratively with government, business, academics along with some non-conventional partnerships to continue to raise the bar on sustainability. Green technologies, resource efficiency, food waste, innovative business models, mainstre...

Continuing our conversations about careers, this episode's focus is on food science. What does it take to be a food scientist? Must you be a geek in a lab coat or have a Frankenstein-like interest in food? Stefan Gates lifts the lid on food science –  what is it and what does it involve? What are the different roles in the profession, and what are the range of skills, and interests, you need to ex...

This episode continues our series of conversations taking us inside food science and it centres on the role of micronutrients as we age. For decades, medical scientists and the food industry have studied this microscopic world of vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, essential fatty acids and more in a bid to understand the true extent of the role they play in nutrition and health.   Dr Christina...

This episode is all about green jobs. David Reay, Professor of Carbon Management and Education at the University of Edinburgh, and member of the UK Government's Green Jobs Taskforce speaks to Stefan from COP 26 in Glasgow, where the future of green jobs have been central to the discussions. The UK government has an ambition to create 2 million more green jobs over the next 9 years - part of the pl...

In Europe alone there are hundreds of protein brands and products, and millions of Euros-worth of sales of protein bars.  With this buoyant market growth, there’s a dilemma for every business entering this space - how do you cut through in such a crowded market? And, from the consumer side, how do you find a bar which is actually as delicious as the marketing? In this episode, Ivan Anton, Senior D...

In this episode, Stefan meets Norberto Chaclin, who is currently leading the Global Bakery Research, Development and Quality team at Mondelez International.  Mondelez International are behind some of the most well-known brands in snacks. Oreo, Belvita, Ritz and Cadbury’s just to name a few. The business has a significant growth aspiration to bring their brands to new markets and to new consumers a...

The latest in the Careers Conversations series from Table Talk explores some of the secrets behind building a career in food communications and brand strategy. Sophie Caplan is a Flavours Communication Specialist at global flavour and fragrance manufacturer Givaudan. She studied English Language and Linguistics at university, during which time she started a personal food blog.  She describes how t...

In this episode, Stefan talks to Sarah and Geoff Yates, founders of Sea Arch - a distilled non-alcoholic spirit and 2021 winner of the prestigious Food Matters Live New Drink of the Year Award.  Building on their combined experience in the food industry - from pastry chef to wine bar owners - this enterprising couple share how they mastered flavour palettes, blended innovative botanicals on the ki...

Eat Just made history earlier this year, following a regulatory approval decision in Singapore for lab grown meat to be sold in a restaurant. System change needs to start somewhere, and this approval offers the potential to be the catalyst for changing the future of meat production and consumption and for cutting down on greenhouse gases, thus being more environmentally friendly. The 1880 restaura...

It’s been 8 years since the introduction of the UK’s front of pack traffic light system which was intended to offer consumers a simple guide for the nutritional value of the food that they are about to buy. With rising levels of obesity and a lack of consumer understanding, is it time for an alternative approach to food labelling?  In this episode  - brought to you in partnership with Danone -  St...

If you want to know how cashew apples can be turned into beautiful burgers, or how the millions of tonnes of waste from coffee cherries can be turned into nutrient rich drinks, you will love this episode of Table Talk. Join the conversation to understand how the current relationship between sustainability and consumers is changing - and how an innovative, sustainable supply chain can deliver excit...

In this podcast we are joined by barley experts and enthusiasts EverGrain, an ingredients company supplying nutrient dense barley for plant-based products whilst delivering circularity in the food system. How can barley help formulators deliver higher protein and fibres to meet growing consumer demand? What unique role does barley play in supporting sustainability and circularity? 

The plant-based market is absolutely booming, with more and more consumers choosing plant-based foods and meat alternatives as they look to reduce their impact on the climate and improve their health. While the taste and texture of plant-based products has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years, is it still a barrier to some consumers who might make flexitarian choices otherwise? In this p...

Last July, Mintel labelled collagen a ‘hero ingredient’, with the global market set to hit €828.6m by 2023. What is behind the growing consumer demand for supplements, and how is the trend for ‘beauty from within’ driving significant growth in the collagen market. This episode, in partnership with BioCell Technology, brings together a panel of experts to help explain how the demand for collagen ha...

When you think of Japanese food it’s unlikely that you’d think of plant-based meat alternatives. With a diet rich in fish and meat you’re more likely to think of Wagyu beef or some freshly made sushi delicacy, however the scene in Japan is changing thanks to food-tech start-ups like Next Meats. With products like the NEXT Egg 1.0, a dairy-free egg product, and the NEXT Yakiniku barbecue meat alter...

In this episode we cast our eyes toward Singapore, home of a rapidly growing food and agri-tech sector. Why is food tech booming in Singapore? What start-ups are disrupting the future of food in the region? What is making investors so excited when it comes to innovation in the country? Join us to find out! From pioneering cellular meat tech to plant-based innovation centres, we'll discover why Sin...

When you think of plant protein you immediately think of vegan food, right? Yet plant protein is also being used to make meat products healthier and more sustainable. Producing animal protein requires considerably more resources than plant protein. Using plants to enhance the meat most people already enjoy is a great way to reduce the meat products’ carbon footprint. In this episode of Table Talk...

In the latest in a series of episodes focused on Net Zero, and its impact on food industry manufacturers, producers and retailers, we join Aditi Sen, Policy Lead at Oxfam to find out whether the focus on net zero is distracting us from the priority of cutting emissions to reduce our impact on the environment. Aditi co-authored Oxfam’s ‘Tightening the Net’ report which discovered that many governme...

Over 3,100 listeners from across the world of food, nutrition and health joined the Table Talk community in August, and in a stellar month on the podcast we unpacked some of the most important challenges for food, drink, diet, sustainability and nutrition. The top trending Table Talk episodes in August included a look at how Edlong are perfecting their plant-based cheese flavours by incorporating...