The Food Programme

Want to lose weight? How much can you achieve through exercise? Dan Saladino investigates with the help of Mike Keen, a chef and Arctic explorer. Mike has had numerous adventures in Greenland, including kayaking thousands of miles, and sometimes doing nothing at all. What happened to his weight on this trips has left him puzzled. They enlist the help three experts, Chris Van Tulleken, author of Ul...

Emulsifiers are among the most common food additives found in ultra-processed foods (UPFs), a much-discussed category of foods commonly defined as those made using manufactured ingredients. They are often packaged and have a long shelf life. Research examining the impact of diets high in UPFs suggests higher rates of obesity and diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. However,...

How will Artificial Intelligence (AI) transform the food industry? Experts say it's already having an effect - whether through self-service checkouts or the algorithms that determine which recipes you see online or the way supermarkets are using it to predict the next big food trend. Jaega Wise heads to the Waitrose Headquarters in Berkshire to find out how their product development team is using...

In the year 2000 there were barely any food banks in the UK but today there are nearly three thousand. So what's behind the sharp rise and how did it get to a point where the government says we have "a mass dependence" on food banks? In this episode Jaega Wise tells the story of the food bank. She hears from those using the Bristol North West food bank. They talk openly about how the food bank hel...

Dan Saladino explores the impact a Christmas Carol and other Charles Dickens novels have had on festive eating, with food historian Ivan Day and food writer Penelope Vogler. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Christmas is a time for giving, and for many charities, that often means food. Jaega Wise explores the tradition and looks into the planning that goes into festive food donations. Food historian Carwyn Graves explains how the custom of giving food at Christmas has evolved over the centuries, and why the season inspires so many to give back to their communities. In Aberdare, we meet the team behind...

Restaurant businesses say it's getting tougher to survive? So what does it take to thrive? Dan Saladino speaks to leading chefs, some successful, others less so. Featuring Mark Hix, Cyrus Todiwala, Imogen and Kieron Waite, Julian Dunkerton, Simon Rogan and Hugh Corcoran. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Join Sheila Dillon at the Old Fruitmarket in Glasgow for the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2024. The awards honour those who have done most to promote the cause of good food and drink. Our judging panel this year is chaired by chef and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Sheila Dillon explores how our grannies' cooking can shape who we are—and asks what we lose if we let go of those traditions. Guests include: Vicky Bennison, founder of YouTube channel Pasta Grannies. Food Writer Clare Finney, and her Grandma Joan Fox. Chet Sharma, chef patron of Bibi, a restaurant named in honour of his grandmothers. Dr Fiona Lavelle from Kings College London, who is researching...

Whether it's Turkish Delight, chocolate cake or ginger beer - some of our earliest food memories are shaped by the books we read. In this episode Sheila Dillon goes down the rabbit-hole of children's fiction to discover why young readers find descriptions of food so compelling. She hears from bestselling children's author Katherine Rundell who insists on eating the food she features in her books....

Five seafood species make up 80% of what is consumed in the UK – while at the same time the vast majority of what is caught in UK waters gets exported. But is that trend beginning to shift? In this episode, Sheila Dillon hears how initiatives like the "Plymouth Fishfinger" are hoping to make more use of fish that has often been seen as ‘by-catch’, and how seafood festivals are working to connect t...

Peter Frankopan, the author of Silk Roads and Earth Transformed, shares his insights with Dan Saladino on food, history and questions for our future. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

In this exploration of backstage food, Jaega Wise meets actors and musicians to find out how they eat to fuel their performance. The journey begins backstage at the Criterion Theatre in the West End, to meet stars of the hit musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) Dujonna Gift and Sam Tutty. From there Jaega chats to baker Stacy Donnelly who’s provided thousands of real-life pies for...

From the indigenous food of the USA to extraordinary cheeses from Ukraine, the wonders of fermentation to a revolutionary network of bakers, Dan Saladino shares stories of food and biodiversity at Slow Food's global gathering, Terra Madre. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Leyla Kazim explores how neurodivergence can affect the way people eat and experience food. The programme visits Aubergine Café in Cardiff, which is owned and run by autistic individuals, to meet the staff who explain why the café is needed and how it provides a better workplace for neurodivergent people. Leyla also speaks to expert dietitian David Rex, who supports children with autism facing eat...

Jaega Wise travels the country to meet the three finalists in the Drinks Producer category in this year's BBC Food and Farming Awards. Her journey takes her to Belfast and the Bullhouse Brewery which began life in a farm shed. Now thriving in an industrial estate, head brewer Will Mayne talks about his frustrations with the current alcohol licensing system in Northern Ireland which he says made it...

Dan Saladino looks at 10 potentially planet changing ideas for the future of food, from a farm out at sea to a pioneering rethink on how we can feed cities. Dan meets the scientists, entrepreneurs and risk-takers focused on transforming the health of the planet, and us. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Why does food do our heads in? This episode is a panel recording from 2024 Abergavenny Food Festival with a live audience. Sheila Dillon is joined by Chef Heston Blumenthal, who recently went public about his diagnosis of bi-polar, and having ADHD (Attention Deficit hyperactivity disorder); chartered psychologist Kimberley Wilson, the author of "Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat is Fuelling Our Men...

Leyla Kazim traces the journey of this unassuming wonder food, from its health benefits to its origins. Nuts, which once would have been central to the diet of our ancestors, are now often treated as a nice-to-have health choice. It’s a food we need to reconnect with, and to do so, we can learn from both the latest science and other food cultures. Leyla hears from Professor Sarah Berry of King’s C...

Dan Saladino visits a unique collection of sourdough bread starters from around the world and explores a hidden world of grains, yeasts, bacteria and their influence on our health. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino

As MPs return to Westminster after the summer recess, The Food Programme catches up with three of the newer recruits to discuss future food policies. Sheila Dillon meets Dr Simon Opher MP (Labour), Aphra Brandreth MP (Conservative) and Sarah Dyke MP (Liberal Democrat) at the head office and kitchens of catering firm Social Pantry, who work with ex-prisoners on their zero-waste food offering. The q...

Food waste isn't a new story. So why cover it again? Well, in the UK, we are still wasting over 10 million tonnes of food a year. That's food that could have been sold, eaten, cooked and enjoyed. Clearly this is a problem that isn't going away. But crucially, we have a new government who have said that a zero waste economy is one of their top priorities for the environment. What will this mean for...

Food, identity, myths and reality. In a globalised world can a dish reflect who we are and where we live? Dan Saladino explores fascinating stories of food, music and tradition in an ever changing and fast moving world. Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

Sheila Dillon hears why some clinicians and researchers want the condition 'Ultra-Processed Food Addiction' to be recognised by groups such as The World Health Organisation. Earlier this year, Dr Jen Unwin (clinical psychologist) and some like-minded international colleagues, including Dr Chris Van Tulleken (scientist, author and broadcaster), came together in London to discuss why they believe Ul...

Finland has once again topped the ranking for the happiest country in the world. But what has food got to do with it? In this programme, Sheila Dillon finds out whether what they eat, their food culture and unique food policies are helping Finns feel happy. What we could we learn from this enterprising Nordic nation? And what challenges are they still facing? In Helsinki, Sheila visits restaurateu...