Food Matters Live Podcast

There is a bewildering world beneath our feet that is both teeming with life and crucial to the global food system. It is a narrow, constantly moving, ever evolving, region within the soil known as the rhizosphere and it is vital to the health of crops and the land itself. A healthy rhizosphere is filled with a diverse range of microorganisms , which means taking care of it is anything but simple....

Microplastics; tiny pieces of plastic usually less than 5mm in length, are a growing concern in the food industry. They come from a variety of sources, and the more research that is done, the more it seems they are making their way into every corner of the globe. Microplastics have been found in our oceans, our farmland, and our woodlands. They are not only polluting the environment, they are also...

How much does front-of-pack information affect the food choices we make? When we shop, many of us have our health in mind, but it can be a challenge to work out which products are genuinely good for us. Nutritional labelling is supposed to help us along the way, but how effective is it?   Since the introduction of the traffic light system in the U K, obesity numbers have actually risen . Health cl...

As more and more of us turn to a plant-based diet, the challenges the sector faces continue to come into sharper focus. One of the biggest, is recreating the appearance, texture, flavour and mouthfeel of meat products. On the Food Matters Live podcast, we have often talked to companies investing heavily in Research and Development to try to address these complex challenges. In this episode, made i...

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a condition that affects people’s behaviour. It is estimated that globally, around 5% of children and 3% of adults have it. There is no cure for ADHD, although there are some medications to help manage the condition. There is also growing evidence that nutrition may have a role to play. The question is: How much can what we eat and drink affect...

Obesity is one of the most visible public health problems right across the world.    The World Health Organization started sounding alarm bells in the 1990s.   But despite various interventions by governments, so-called “globesity” has continued its inexorable progress. It is clear that our changing diet plays a role, and many experts have singled out highly processed and refined foods as a major...

Over the past few years sustainability has really come to the fore – becoming an essential aspect of any forward-looking food business. On the Food Matters Live podcast, the topic comes up again and again. Given the scale of the global challenges around climate change and a growing population, it seems inevitable we will be talking about it for some time to come.  The tricky thing is lots of claim...

Dr Rupy Aujla is an NHS GP who is making waves, linking food and medicine. His story is a remarkable and deeply personal one, which has led him on a journey he never imagined he would embark on. Claims about the medicinal properties of certain foods have been spoken about for years. The use of food as medicine dates back centuries – the Ancient Egyptians, for instance, consumed onions to aid diges...

Millions of Jewish families around the world are celebrating Passover with storytelling, wine, and food. If you do not know, Passover is a religious festival that commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. The celebrations are filled with deep meaning and powerful symbolism. The Seder Meal takes centre stage. It has many elements, with each item having its own sym...

Arthritis is a debilitating condition which affects millions of people around the world.   In the UK alone, there are up to 10 million people living with it and it affects people of all ages. So, what role can what we eat play in preventing and managing the condition? Spoiler alert - there is no one-size-fits-all miracle diet. But while we can be sure there is no miracle diet for arthritis, there...

Throughout history, where there have been human beings, there has been fermentation . Human beings have a long-standing fascination with fermented foods, the question is: why? Fermented products are enjoying a huge boom at the moment, Kimchi, Kefir and Kombucha are all on the up. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The truly interesting fact is something like a third of all food consumed by h...

Mushrooms have been eaten since the earliest history; a constant, in cuisines and medicine.  So, harnessing their functional properties is nothing new but the mushroom is turning out to be the perfect modern food.   Low in calories and carbohydrates, fat, and sodium, cholesterol-free, chock full of vital nutrients and fibre, and, importantly, apparently loaded with nutraceutical properties. There...

For thousands of years, ginger has been an essential part of many cuisines. It would be hard to think of an ingredient which has quite as distinctive a combination of flavour, aroma and taste.  Ginger is a versatile and widely used flavouring in the food and beverage industry, and is used in a range of products, from baked goods and confectionery to drinks, sauces and marinades. Its characteristic...

When it comes to food research, there are few places playing a bigger role than Wageningen University and Research . It has been the beating heart of Dutch agricultural innovation for nearly 150 years, helping the country’s food industry become the envy of the world since opening as an agricultural college in 1876. Today, the university is still leading the way in a country with an incredibly entr...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects more than one-in-twenty people worldwide. It occurs in populations all over the planet and it can be debilitating. But what role can food, diet, and nutrition play in managing IBS flare ups? The causes of IBS are not currently well understood, which makes managing it very difficult for sufferers. There is a lot of research underway into the role diet and nutr...

Have you ever stopped to consider the huge role the potato plays in the global food industry?  This humble root vegetable, native to the Americas, has become a staple around the world. It is at the centre of the food industry and at the heart of many of our diets. But what is really interesting, is that over time the potato has revealed even more of its secrets and is emerging as a perfect source...

Does making greener food choices always come with a cost? More specifically, is the cost of living crisis forcing consumers to act less sustainably? There is tons of research out there on how cost effective going green can be, some people say it is cheaper, while others claim it is simply too expensive.  And it can be hard to get to the facts, especially when products labelled as eco-friendly ofte...

Whey protein may conjure up images of gym-goers and competitive athletes, but there is growing evidence that it could benefit many more people. As we see aging populations around the world, attention is increasingly turning to our physical health in later life. As we get older, it becomes more challenging to maintain and build muscle mass, and the effects of that can be devastating. The main hazar...

Many aspects of our lives can potentially affect fertility, but there are few we can control. Our environment, stress and sleep are difficult to change, and our genetics are what they are. But diet is one of the factors we can, in theory at least, have some level of control over. So, how can adjustments to our diet help aid fertility? It is certainly a question the supplements industry has asked,...

Social media is credited with many things and blamed for many more, but what role does it play in the food choices people make? Online, we are bombarded by images of all kinds and food has taken its place alongside everything else. And, of course, we are trapped in our own social media bubbles - drawn to things because our friends have liked them, or because our favourite influencers have been pai...

Marketing is an integral part of the food industry, helping to set trends, change behaviour, and of course, sell products. It is a hugely interesting part of the food industry, both creative and analytical, and it has to be said, competitive. So, what skills are needed to succeed? What are the biggest challenges? And what will the role of a marketing professional look like 10 years from now? This...

The food industry spends an increasing amount of time, energy and money on sensory science. Millions are ploughed into carefully studying and manipulating the taste, smell and texture of food.  And not just that, but the sounds that packaging makes, the colours of products and packaging ; adjusting them for maximum sensory impact.   All these work together to have a significant psychological and p...

Olivia Ferdi, Co-Founder of TRIP, a brand which produces drinks and oils using cannabidiol (CBD), is nothing if not inspiring. You have more than likely seen the brand advertised or on shop shelves in recent months, and it continues to grow. None of that is by accident, Olivia and her husband and Co-Founder, Daniel Khoury, have worked tirelessly to get the brand out there.  She is a former lawyer,...

The role of the nutritionist is constantly changing, but what might it look like in the future? Over the last few decades, there have been big advances in nutritional science, and technology is transforming the industry too. There is a whole plethora of apps offering personalised nutritional advice and, as consumers, we are probably more aware than ever of the nutritional value of the food we eat....

When the bread slicing machine was invented in the 1920s in the US it was initially met with some scepticism by consumers. But it is a huge success story – within five years of that first slicing machine being used in a Missouri bakery it is estimated that 80% of bread sold in the US was pre-sliced. It was so successful that it became the subject of a phrase. Who hasn't heard: 'This is the best th...