The Food Chain

Latest Episodes:

A farmer's nightmare Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

The UK food industry relies on foreign workers, but what happens when they stop coming? A combination of COVID-19 and Brexit has led to fewer workers available to pick, process and transport food. For some farmers it has led to heartbreaking dilemmas. Tamasin Ford speaks to two pig farmers who face having to kill thousands of healthy pigs, and a salad farmer who has seen millions of lettuce heads rot in his fields.

(Picture: farmer in field, Credit: Getty/BBC)

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

Contributors: Vicky Morgan, pig farmer, Pockthorpe Hall Farm, East Yorkshire, UK Kate Morgan, pig farmer, Pockthorpe Hall Farm, East Yorkshire, UK Nick Ottewell, Farming and Commercial Director at LJ Betts Ltd, Kent, England

Last orders: Why I quit hospitality Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

The hospitality industry is facing a staffing crisis, but why have thousands of chefs and waiters quit, and why now?

Tamasin Ford speaks to three former restaurant and bar workers to find out why the coronavirus pandemic prompted them to leave, and what they're doing instead.

We find out what, if anything, might tempt them back - higher pay, more sociable hours, or better work culture, maybe kinder customers? And we ask whether Covid-19 might really be the moment for industry reform.

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

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors: Adam Reiner, New York; Melissa Sosa, Miami; Renée Harper, Phoenix.

(Picture: Upset waitress leaning on a bar. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The drinking experiment Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

Alcohol is part of the fabric of life in many cultures. It’s associated with socialising, dating, networking, even commiserating . But what happens if you take it away? Tamasin Ford brings together three people who decided to give up alcohol in a drinking culture. We ask them why and how they did it. What effect did it have on their lives professionally, socially, physically and emotionally? And would they ever want to drink again?

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

If you have found any of the issues raised in this programme upsetting and are looking for further information or support - please visit BBC Action Line by clicking on the link below.

Contributors: Annie Grace - Author and founder This Naked Mind Colorado, USA Andy Ramage - Performance coach, Essex, UK Kate Gunn - Author 'The Accidental Soberista' Whitlow, Ireland

(Picture: Hand on empty bottle. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

The bug business Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

Insects are cheap, packed full of nutrients, and farming them for food could help save the planet. Convincing more people to eat them, though, remains a big challenge.

Tamasin Ford speaks to three insect entrepreneurs trying to persuade the squeamish, especially in Europe and North America, to overcome their fears of crickets, worms, and spiders, and instead see them as a tasty, sustainable, alternative source of protein.

We also hear that it’s not just the ‘yuck factor’ holding this fledgling industry back - should governments, chefs, and climate campaigners be doing more to support it?

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

Producer: Simon Tulett

Contributors:

Joseph Yoon, chef and executive director of Brooklyn Bugs; Marjolaine Blouzard, former co-owner of Bugs Cafe; Andy Holcroft, founding director of Grub Kitchen and Bug Farm Foods.

(Picture: A dish of peas, carrots and worms prepared by chef David Faure. Credit: Didier Baverel/Getty Images/BBC)

Cooking by computer Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

From bread making to Thai cuisine, cookery classes have become a popular way for people to learn new culinary skills and meet people. But coronavirus lockdowns suddenly brought these businesses to a standstill. Rory Cellan-Jones hears from three cooks, who quickly pivoted to virtual cooking classes to survive. Could they get over the technical challenges, and can you really teach someone to cook through a computer?

(Picture: mother and child on a virtual cooking course. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Fayruza Abrahams, Taste Malay Rawan Al Waada, Rebels in the Kitchen Sue Hudson, Bread Workshops

OCD, the kitchen, and me Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

Hot stoves, perishable food, and potentially dirty surfaces can make the kitchen a difficult place for someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

People with OCD will frequently experience unwanted thoughts, images or urges - which may include worries about contamination or harming themselves and others. They will often use repetitive behaviours to relieve their anxiety - including washing and cleaning, or repeatedly checking their actions. All this means that both cooking and eating food prepared by others can become very distressing.

In this episode, Emily Thomas meets three people who have suffered from the disorder. They explain how debilitating the condition can be by describing just one aspect of daily life - the way they eat.

Contributors: Chrissie Fadipe, Shai Friedland, Patricia Grisafi

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this programme, please see the related links section at the bottom of this page.

The power of a photograph Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

Food photography is about much more than beautifully presented dishes in cookbooks - it’s also being used to change the way we think about what we eat.

Emily Thomas meets three photographers to discuss some of their most powerful images - from a bloody scene in a Thai slaughterhouse to a display of human resilience in a refugee camp.

They explore why still images of food and food production can be a compelling way to communicate about politics, society, and economics. We also hear about the impact such hard-hitting photography can have on the people behind the lens.

To see the images described on the show, plus a few more, visit our homepage www.bbc.com/foodchain

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

Producer: Simon Tulett.

Contributors:

Jo-Anne McArthur; Dorte Verner; Li Huaifeng.

(Picture: A Moken spear fisherman diving for his catch. Credit: Dorte Verner)

The unstoppable rise of starch Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

Starches are among the most important and versatile additives in processed food, but most of us know little about them and there are some we should be wary of.

Emily Thomas hears why starch is a food manufacturer’s best friend - making pies crispier, cakes airier, and yoghurts creamier. It’s even used to mimic and replace ingredients some of us want to limit, like sugar and fat.

But although starch is a vital source of energy for all of us, some highly processed starches have been linked with negative health outcomes, and it can be hard for the consumer to find out which type they’re eating.

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

Producers: Simon Tulett and Siobhan O'Connell.

Contributors:

Peter Hendrikx, Ingredion; Marty Jopkin, author of 'The Science of Food'; Fred Warren, The Quadram Institute

(Picture: Bread 'flying' in mid-air. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Is there a ‘chefsplainer’ in your kitchen? Aug 04, 2021

Show notes

Is there someone in your life who needs to have total control in the kitchen? Someone who breathes down your neck, micromanages your every move and can’t resist explaining exactly how to chop a carrot? If so, you may be in the company of what we’re calling ‘a Chefsplainer’. Or perhaps all this rings a bell because you are a chefsplainer? Whoever you are - this episode of The Food Chain is for you.

Emily Thomas meets a married couple, a mother and son, and two friends to unpack their power dynamics in the kitchen. They explore why some people feel the need to take control over the cooking, how this reflects our emotional attachment to food, and whether what happens in the kitchen reflects or changes relationships outside it. Plus - why do some of us think that it’s ok to behave in certain ways in the kitchen - that we wouldn’t dream of elsewhere?

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

(Picture: couple argue in a kitchen. Credit: Getty/BBC)

Contributors:

Abby Saverino Russell Newlove Harriet Gore Joel Gore Louis Coiffait Ali Potter

Is it time to kill the calorie? Jul 28, 2021

Show notes

Calories are ubiquitous across most of the world and have been used to help people manage their weight for more than a century. But have we been counting them wrong all along? In this episode, Emily Thomas finds out how the calorie is a lot more complex than many of us realise.

Historian Louise Foxcroft describes how this measure of energy became the darling of scientists and public health experts across the globe, and the unwitting bedfellow of the diet industry. Geneticist Giles Yeo argues that calorie counting can actually be harmful, encouraging us to make unhealthy choices, and Bridget Benelam from the British Nutrition Foundation explains why she thinks that despite all its flaws, the calorie will be with us for a good while yet.

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