Future Fork with Paul Newnham

In today's episode, I’m joined by Jozef Youssef, multi-sensory chef and founder of Kitchen Theory. Jozef has spent over a decade designing immersive dining experiences guided by the science of how humans perceive flavour. Working alongside Professor Charles Spence, head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University, Jozef has also published more than 35 academic papers. You'll hear wh...

In today's episode, I’m joined by Dr. Kemel Ghotme, a Colombian paediatric neurosurgeon who led the first neurosurgery-led resolution in the history of the World Health Organisation, a global mandate to fortify staple foods with micronutrients to prevent neural tube defects and other birth conditions.  I spoke with Kemel in Geneva, where we were attending the third World Health Assembly since...

In today's episode, Paul speaks with Priya Prakash, founder of HealthSetGo, a school health programme working across India to bring preventive healthcare, nutrition education, and basic health infrastructure to children who've never had access to it.  You'll hear why the Indian cultural definition of "healthy" for children is a misnomer, Priya shares a personal story of bully...

Dr Lawrence Haddad is the Executive Director of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), an international organisation working across more than a dozen countries to make nutritious food more available, affordable and desirable.  In today’s episode, we explore the state of global nutrition in 2026. You'll hear Lawrence's reflections on what David Nabarro would be telling the nutri...

In today's episode, we're talking to Alesha Miller, Chief Strategy Officer at Digital Green — a tech nonprofit putting AI tools directly into the hands of smallholder farmers around the world. We explore how digital technology is reshaping agriculture from the ground up and why the world's 500 million smallholder farmers have been chronically under-served. You'll hear how Digital G...

Samir Wanmali is the WFP Regional Director for Asia-Pacific. With over 20 years of experience across food security, emergency operations and programme design, he has led responses in some of the world's most challenging contexts. Since November 2024, he has turned his attention to a region that feeds much of the world, yet where hunger and malnutrition persist in ways that are often overlooked...

Jamie Drummond is the co-founder of ONE.org and the founder of Sharing Strategies — an organisation that brings together philanthropies, think tanks, campaign groups and international organisations to share collective intelligence on climate and development. In this conversation, we explore why the money needed to solve the world's biggest problems already exists, and why it isn't getting...

Sophie Healy-Thow is an Irish food systems and nutrition advocate. She is the founder of Act4Food Act4Change, a global youth-led campaign. And currently serves as Food Systems Coordinator for Belfast City Council. She also sits on the Advisory Board of EAT and is a Lead Group Member of the UN's Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. We explore what meaningful youth engagement in food systems act...

In today's episode, we're talking to Sahar Parham Al Awadhi, an Emirati chef whose work is reshaping how Emirati cuisine is understood and experienced.  We explore how culture, sustainability, and responsibility intersect in her work, and why she sees chefs not just as creatives, but as custodians of resilient food systems. You'll hear about her commitment to elevating local ingredient...

Rasmus Munk is the chef and co-owner of Alchemist in Copenhagen, Denmark — a restaurant that has redefined what a dining experience can be. Ranked among the world's best restaurants, Alchemist serves a 50-course "holistic dining" experience across five hours, where every dish is designed to provoke thought, spark conversation, and challenge the boundaries between food, art, and socia...

In today's episode, we're talking to Chef Rick Bayless, renowned chef, restaurateur, and advocate for Mexican culinary traditions. He's spent decades bridging cultures through food, from growing up in his family's restaurant to living five years in Mexico studying regional cuisine with local cooks. We explore his journey from childhood cook to award-winning chef, and how he's b...

Disruptive conversations are the bread and butter of Future Fork. Watch on as we revisit some of the best sit-downs from the past year. In this episode, Michelin-recognised Chef Sammy Monsour discusses how food activism provides a new path outside of the kitchen and the most rewarding aspects of his journey. Founder and CEO of AGREA, Cherrie Atilano, explains their organisation's "ecology of digni...

Alyson Greenhalgh-Ball is the founder of Conscious Impact. Alyson uses a systems-thinking approach to drive collaboration and sustainable change that uplifts communities and creates lasting positive impact. In this episode, she shares how her dedication to advancing good food for everyone began while growing up on a farm, giving her a firsthand understanding of the vital relationship between land,...

Christopher Gardner is Director of Nutrition Studies Research Group and Professor at Stanford School of Medicine. For over 2 decades, he has studied what to eat and what to avoid, influencing best practices and food systems. In this episode, Christopher discusses the American perspective on protein and how it shifts from the balanced diet. He dives into the U.S. dietary guidelines, the exhaustive...

Moyo Odunfa is the Head Chef and Founder of The Atije Experience. Based in Lagos, Chef Moyo tells the story of Nigeria and West Africa by showcasing its cuisine. In this episode, Moyo breaks down her own discovery of West African cuisine. She discusses why even Africans sometimes doubt their own culinary traditions, how colonialism shaped what Nigerians value in their own kitchens and she explains...

Jean-Martin Bauer is the Director for Food Security and Nutrition Analysis for the World Food Programme. The World Food Programme is one of the largest humanitarian organisations tackling famine, food security, and sustainability. In this episode, Jean-Martin discusses his personal journey towards humanitarian aid and how misguided political input, which has damaged food sustainability, has pushed...

Tony Rinaudo, known as “The Forest Maker,” is a globally renowned agriculturalist and World Vision Australia’s Principal Climate Action Advisor. He is celebrated for pioneering Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), a simple yet transformative method that has helped restore over six million hectares of land and uplift countless communities from poverty. In this episode, Tony...

Dalia David and Newton Campbell Jr. are the Co-founders of Heritage Space Food. Heritage Space Food is a non-profit media organisation focused on the intersection between cultural traditions, space exploration, and food to promote cultural preservation through gastronomy and inspire and unite global communities into action.    In this episode, Dalia and Newton explain how their back...

Fabrice DeClerck is the Science Director of EAT. EAT is a non-profit organisation using sound science, impatient disruption, and novel partnerships to overhaul existing structures and beliefs and develop fairer and more sustainable global food systems.  In this episode, Fabrice discusses the impact of the ‘EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health’ and how the report addresses...

Wawira Njiru is the CEO of Food 4 Education. Food 4 Education is a not-for-profit organisation aiming to make school feeding programs mainstream across Africa by designing a blueprint, operating it, and supporting replication to ensure that no child has to learn on an empty stomach. In this episode, Wawira discusses how Food 4 Education’s mission to end childhood hunger by providing nutritio...

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to sit down with three young agri-preneurs who are enacting real change in Africa on World Youth Day during the 2025 CGIAR Science Week. Priscilla Wakarera is the CEO of Rhea. Rhea is a soil health management company that provides farmers with precise nutritional data and tailored recommendations. Allan C’oredo is the Founder and CEO of FarmIT. FarmIT...

Elizabeth Nsimadala is a Ugandan agripreneur, smallholder farmer, and President of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF). EAFF is a regional farmers’ organisation that represents over 25 million smallholder farmers from 24 member organisations in 10 Eastern African countries to achieve one overall goal: a prosperous and cohesive community of East African farmers. In this episode, Eliz...

Bram Govaerts is the Director General of CIMMYT. CIMMYT is an international non-profit organisation working towards a more productive, inclusive, and resilient agri-food system by improving the quantity, quality, and dependability of production systems and basic cereals such as maize, wheat, triticale, sorghum, millets, and more, through applied agricultural science and strong partnerships. In thi...

Maximo Torero is the Chief Economist at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the United Nations. The FAO is a highly specialised branch of the United Nations dedicated to defeating world hunger and the causes of food insecurity to ensure all people have access to safe and nutritious food. In this episode, Maximo lays out the main takeaways from the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrit...

David McNair is the Executive Director of Global Policy for ONE Campaign. ONE Campaign is an international, non-partisan, non-profit organisation advocating for the investments needed to create economic opportunities and healthier lives in Africa. In this episode, David shares how growing up in Belfast and later witnessing inequality in India has driven his fight against poverty, disease, and hung...