The Food Chain

Latest Episodes:

Feed your brain Dec 14, 2023

Show notes

Our brains require 20% of our body’s energy intake, despite making up, on average, only 2% of our body weight.

There are nutrients that are needed for brain health and development, yet many of us don’t think about specifically eating for our brains.

In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about the relationship between our gut and our brain, and the impact food can have on your alertness, mood and memory.

And just why oily fish, and other foods containing omega 3 fatty acids are so good for your brain.

Ruth speaks to Dr Reeta Achari, a neurologist specialising in nutrition in Texas, United States and Dr Uma Naidoo a nutritional psychiatrist and author of ‘Calm Your Mind With Food’, in Massachusetts, United States. They are joined by Michelle Munt in the United Kingdom, whose blog ‘Jumbled Brain’ talks about recovering from a brain injury following a car accident in 2014.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Julia Paul and Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a selection of foods collected in the shape of a brain. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

How to stop cooking killing Dec 07, 2023

Show notes

It’s estimated that more than 2 billion people use polluting stoves - with severe consequences for their health.

The World Health Organisation says 3.2 million people die each year as a result of the household air pollution they cause.

Ruth Alexander finds out why this problem – which also harms the environment – is so difficult to solve.

She speaks to Dr Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency in Paris; Sophie Odupoy from Koko Networks in Kenya; Naramath Lucas Kariongi from the Rural Communities Support Organisation in Tanzania; and Dr Mike Clifford of Nottingham University’s engineering department in the UK.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Producers: Hannah Bewley and Rumella Dasgupta.

(Picture: a clay stove with a wood fire lit. Credit: BBC)

Pesticide exports Nov 30, 2023

Show notes

Many countries allow the manufacture and export of pesticides that are banned for use in their own countries.

Recently France and Belgium have introduced laws preventing the export of such agrochemicals if their use is banned in the European Union. The European Commission is currently considering whether to introduce similar laws.

Grace Livingstone reports from Paraguay where some small farmers living near soya plantations say heavy pesticide spraying is affecting their health and livelihoods.

We hear from the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Toxics, Marcos Orellana, who says that global pesticide regulations should be tougher.

And we speak to Emily Rees of CropLife International, which represents the agrochemical industry, who says different climates and soil conditions require different pesticides.

Produced and presented by Grace Livingstone.

(Image: a tractor spraying soybean crops. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Food for new mums Nov 23, 2023

Show notes

Seaweed soup, aniseed sprinkles on toast, pig trotter soup and fried chicken.

In this episode Ruth Alexander learns about what your body needs postpartum, and hears different food traditions for that time, from around the world.

Chinese-American author Heng Ou tells us about her differing experiences after the birth of her three children, and how an auntie making dumplings non-stop helped her.

Allison Oman Lawi from the World Food Programme explains the nutritional needs for the body in the weeks after giving birth and talks about how cultural traditions often get it just right.

Mengqi Wang in China tells us about her experience in a postpartum clinic and how she managed to break the strict dietary rules a few times.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Presented by Ruth Alexander. Produced by Hannah Bewley and Rumella Dasgupta.

(Image: A woman holds her new baby. Credit: Getty Images)

Eco scores on food labels Nov 16, 2023

Show notes

The European Union wants to introduce one system for scoring the sustainability of food products. The new requirements are likely to be introduced in 2024.

Currently there are a number of different labels and symbols used on food packaging across Europe, and there is concern that this can lead to confusion for consumers and can be open to exploitation.

Russell Padmore travels across Ireland, hearing about the pros and cons from farmers, food producers, restaurants and consumers.

If you’d like to contact the programme you can email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Produced and presented by Russell Padmore.

(Image: a woman looking at the label on a can of food, holding a shopping basket. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

How to read a menu Nov 09, 2023

Show notes

Pan fried, artisanal, gourmet: there's a fashion for foodie words. Why?

In this episode, Ruth Alexander finds out how restaurants use language, psychology and behavioural economics to whet your appetite and increase their profits.

Linguist Dr Keri Matwick of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore explains the research that shows the longer the description of a dish, the more expensive on average it is.

Chef Caroline Martins of Sampa at Blossom Street Social Wine Bar in Manchester, England talks about the mistakes she made when she first designed her menus.

Sean Willard of Menu Engineers in California gives us an insight into the power of using a box on the menu.

And thanks to listener Simon in London who emailed thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk with the idea for the programme. Neither he nor we will look at a menu in the same way again.

Presented by Ruth Alexander. Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a woman holding a menu in front of her face. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Cooking in extreme places Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Wherever humans go, whatever we do, we need to eat.

In this programme, we meet the people cooking at the extremes.

We hear about the chefs serving up three-course meals on Africa’s highest peak; the elaborate puddings created on stormy seas with a cruise ship pastry chef; the art of cramming enough food to feed 100 hungry sailors on board a nuclear submarine with a US Navy submarine culinary specialist, and tapas nights in the Antarctic with the chef at Rothera research station.

Presenter: Ruth Alexander

Producers: Rumella Dasgupta and Izzy Greenfield

(Image: Mount Lister in Antarctica, covered in snow and ice. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Why is food so expensive in Ghana? Oct 25, 2023

Show notes

Ghana’s inflation rate is one of the highest in the world, much of it driven by rising food prices.

In this programme Ruth Alexander asks how Ghana went from being the world’s fastest growing economy in 2019, to financial crisis today.

Economist John Asafu-Adjaye, at the African Center for Economic Transformation based in Ghana, explains why much of the country’s food is imported.

Lydia Amenyaglo explains why historically cocoa has not been made into chocolate in Ghana, instead shipped elsewhere to be manufactured. Her family has farmed cocoa for decades, but she’s struggled to start a new business creating cocoa products at home in Ghana.

Ruth hears about the impact of rising food prices on school meals in Ghana. Might Kojo Abreh, at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration in Ghana, explains the findings from a survey of caterers, schools and students which found that some children are going hungry.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Presenter: Ruth Alexander Producer: Beatrice Pickup

(Image: A woman with a child on her back purchasing food. Credit: Getty Images)

The rise of private chefs Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

This week, Ruth Alexander is exploring the growing market for professional home cooking and asking whether you’re guaranteed the luxury experience you’re paying for.

She speaks to private chef Juliana White, also known as Plate in Progress, about what it's like to cook for the rich and famous in The Hamptons, a summer destination for affluent New York residents.

Kate Emery, founder of Amandine International Chef Placement in the south of France, tells Ruth how she handles the big personalities of chef and client, and discusses the demand for private chefs from the middle classes.

We talk to one of the newer types of customers, John Holt, about why he's happy to spend handsomely to hire a private chef for an evening, and why it isn't always a success.

Italian-born Marcello Ghiretti treats Ruth to some breakfast, and explains the issues surrounding private chefs and professional standards.

How to feed a city Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

More than half of us globally now live in cities. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, that number will be closer to seven out of ten of us.

How can growing cities feed their populations?

In this programme Ruth Alexander finds out about the history of how cities grew to their current scale, and some potential solutions to meeting their food needs.

Carolyn Steel, architect and author of ‘Hungry City’ meets Ruth in London, United Kingdom, to talk about the role of transport and markets in making London the city it is today. Ruth hears about Tokyo, Japan, a city that has spread around ancient farmland rather than build on it. She speaks to Yu Tominaga and Mayumi Kawaguchi who own Hasune farm in central Tokyo, and Professor Makoto Yokohari who studies urban farming at the University of Tokyo.

In Namibia, our reporter Frauke Jensen Röschlau reports on the role of informal food vendors on the streets of Windhoek, she interviews Professor Ndeyapo Nickanor, an expert in food security at the University of Namibia.

If you’d like to contact the programme you can email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

Additional reporting by Frauke Jensen Röschlau.

(Image: commuters walking on a street in Tokyo. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

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