The Food Programme

There's been a huge growth in the range of 'free from' foods over the last decade. Sheila Dillon asks whether this is due to more people being diagnosed with food allergies, or whether retailers and manufacturers are finding their own ways to grow consumer interest in dairy and gluten free foods. Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Richard Johnson reports from Japan on the impact of the Fukushima disaster on food. How has the threat of contamination changed attitudes to the nation's prized food culture? A year ago, Japan was hit by the catastrophic Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. In the days that followed, reactors 1, 2 and 3 at the Fukushima nuclear power station experienced full meltdown. The fears of catastrophic radioacti...

We are going through an unprecedented change in how we eat. Developing countries are moving away from traditional diets, and all over the world new types of foodstuffs are edging out foods that have been consumed for centuries. Is this a change for the better, what is driving this change, and how well do we understand what the implications are? Two influential thinkers - Michael Pollan in the USA...

Who makes sure our food is safe and how? A report on Britain's food safety net. The Food Standards Agency is reviewing who makes sure our food is safe and how that work is carried out. Currently the UK's 434 local authorities employ 2800 people to police our food. With with austerity measures underway there's now less money to spend on those services and budgets for Environmental Health, Trading S...

Sheila Dillon looks at how people are clubbing together to buy budget and luxury food. Producer: Maggie Ayre.

In these uncomfortable times, Sheila Dillon asks what role does food play in giving comfort? Producer: Sara Parker.

Meat-free cooking is in the spotlight. High-profile food writers are devoting books to delicious meatless food, and there are established restaurants, street-food vendors and new eateries offering vegetarian and vegan fare to diners of all stripes. Is it time for all restaurants and cafes to offer fantastic vegetarian food that doesn't feel like an 'add-on' to the menu? In this edition of the Food...

The trouble with chocolate. Sheila Dillon explains why supplies of cocoa around the world are facing a challenging future. Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Generation Food. The Food Programme hears from the people coming up with new ideas and fresh thinking about how and where we produce food for the UK's future. From computer programmers creating networks for people trading food locally through to community supported market gardens, Sheila Dillon finds out how a new generation is coming up with radical models for growing, buying and selling food. Pr...

Food and the Olympics. Guest presenter John Inverdale looks ahead to London 2012 and explores the history of food and athletics from the first London Games of 1948. Presenter: John Inverdale Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Sheila Dillon reports on the major developments in the big food stories of 2011. Producer: Rich Ward.

Tim Hayward and The Food Quiz team juggle more food history, trivia and recipe knowledge in pursuit of fun and gastronomic curiosity. Recorded in front of a live audience at The Abergavenny Food Festival this special edition of the Radio 4 Food Quiz features panellists comedian Chris Neill, food writer Richard Johnson, television presenter Gizzi Erskine and restaurant insider Thomas Blythe. This w...

Nowhere else will you find a programme that juggles Elvis Presley's culinary history, questions over the origins of a 1970's crisp brand, references to Elizabeth David and some of the world's most unusual food sounds. Food writer Tim Hayward performs this feat in a special Christmas Day edition of The Food Quiz. Panellists Allegra McEvady, Richard Johnson and Chris Neill pit their gastronomic know...

Dan Saladino explores the past, present and future of the most British of drinks, gin. And hears how a new generation of distillers is testing the boundaries of an old and familiar flavour. For decades vodka was the spirit of choice, not just for James Bond, but also for bartenders and mixologists (a recent term for the people who develop new drink recipes and cocktails). But more recently people...

Dan Saladino exlores how higher food prices are changing what we buy and how we eat. From increases in food related crime to shortages of ingredients, what else is in store?

Sheila Dillon talks to Food Award judges Jeremy Lee and Kath Dalmeny about some of the exciting grassroots developments in local markets around the country, focusing on the three outstanding examples of community food retailing which are transforming their communities in different and imaginative ways.

Sheila Dillon reports on the winners and finalists of The BBC Food & Farming Awards 2011.

Mark Bittman is a high-profile figure in the United States. He's the chief food writer for the New York Times, a broadcaster, and a bestselling author. Keen to understand the differences between the British and American food systems, one day he made a call out of the blue to Sheila Dillon. Once in London, he fixed up meetings with Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Arthur Potts Dawson....

Simon Parkes meets the people trying to come up with food ideas for the future. Will techniques used by experimental chefs become mainstream in the 21st century? Producer: Dan Saladino.

Sheila Dillon looks at the world of the commercial forager. As chefs become increasingly interested in sourcing wild ingredients, who are the people turning it into a profession? Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Used increasingly by the food industry in a wide array of products from chocolate, crisps, ready meals to sweets, palm oil is both a controversial ingredient and, for many, an unknown one. Used for centuries as a cooking oil in West Africa, palm oil has properties that make it a highly desirable and affordable component in food production. It is also used widely in animal feed, and in ever-larger...

Sheila Dillon asks if the calorie is an outdated way of controlling diet and reducing obesity.

Sheila Dillon looks at some of the ingenious ways we have developed of preserving food through the ages, and enjoys some autumn foraging for fruits and berries with Jill Mason of the School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire. Elderberry and Apple Chutney Ingredients: 425g Elderberries 425g Bramley Apples (peeled and cored) 1 Large onion (chopped) 50g sultanas 150g soft light brown sugar 150ml red...

Richard Johnson travels to Los Angeles, a city where many of the world's food trends begin. With the US economy in crisis LA's "food truck" scene is growing. People who have lost jobs are finding new careers by serving street food from trucks with relatively small start up costs. These new businesses work well in LA because generations of immigration have created a diverse food culture and it's so...

Britain is a brewing nation, with a long tradition of creating incredible beers to be enjoyed in any number of taverns, inns and pubs. Pete Brown - beer blogger and author - believes that Britain should be truly proud of its remarkable brewing heritage and charts the ups and downs of beer in the UK from Burton-on-Trent's special water via Lloyd George's unsuccessful attempt at Prohibition through...