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The Food Chain

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

World Service,533 episodes

Episodes

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Tweaks for 2026: How to eat better
The smartest nutrition advice from 2025 to help you feel better in 2026
08 Jan 2026,26 mins
Family ties
Revisiting some of the most powerful stories from 2025
25 Dec 2025,26 mins
What is the ultimate hangover cure?
Find out what happens in your body after you’ve had alcohol and whether any remedies work
18 Dec 2025,26 mins
Food heroes and villains
Why does social media cast some foods as heroes and others as villains?
11 Dec 2025,26 mins
How to eat well in the cold
What kinds of food and drink help people keep warm while living in extreme cold?
04 Dec 2025,26 mins
To tip or not to tip?
What wait staff really think about your payments for their service
27 Nov 2025,26 mins
The servers: The highs and lows of waiting on tables
What is your table server really thinking? We hear about the working lives of wait staff
20 Nov 2025,26 mins
Food by drones?
From hot takeaways to emergency aid, are autonomous aircraft the future?
13 Nov 2025,31 mins
Turmeric: The golden spice
Rumella Dasgupta looks at the history of turmeric and its uses in both food and medicine
06 Nov 2025,26 mins
The chefs
Chefs from three continents tell Ruth Alexander what makes this demanding job so special.
30 Oct 2025,26 mins
The coffee habit: Why do we love it so much?
The story of why we love coffee, through history, tradition and science.
23 Oct 2025,27 mins
The power of pepper
We explore what pepper can do for your food.
16 Oct 2025,26 mins
How (not) to complain
Believe it or not, restaurants really do want your feedback, but in-person, not online.
09 Oct 2025,26 mins
Portion size: How much should you eat?
How to make sure you’re eating the right amount of food
02 Oct 2025,26 mins
Dining etiquette: What really matters?
No elbows, no emojis: The new rules of table manners
25 Sep 2025,26 mins
How to set a food trend
How much work goes into creating the next big thing in food?
18 Sep 2025,26 mins
Flavour: The potato chip story
Ruth Alexander looks at why crisps are one of world's most enduring and popular snacks.
11 Sep 2025,29 mins
Should I eat breakfast?
What makes a healthy first meal of the day, and when to have it
04 Sep 2025,26 mins
Bottom trawling and the future of global fish supplies
What pressures are these fishing methods placing on oceans and those who depend on them?
28 Aug 2025,26 mins
Making care home food better
The people aiming to bring quality, nutritious meals for elderly residents in care homes
21 Aug 2025,26 mins
Garlic: Food or medicine?
A journey through this pungent bulb's history, culture and cuisine.
14 Aug 2025,26 mins
The anti-dementia diet
Could the food you eat help to reduce your risk of dementia?
07 Aug 2025,26 mins
Eating well with dementia
How memory loss changes our relationship with food
31 Jul 2025,26 mins
India's caste system and food
How social stigma impacted the cuisine of India’s Dalit community
24 Jul 2025,26 mins
A place at the table: fostering and adoption
How a simple plate of food can provide comfort, connection and a sense of belonging.
17 Jul 2025,32 mins
Protein v fibre
Is our preoccupation with protein overshadowing another nutritional essential – fibre?
10 Jul 2025,26 mins
Video game food
How do you bring a fantastical virtual food item to life in the real world?
03 Jul 2025,26 mins
The story of your plate
The history of dinnerware and what it says about the people who use it
26 Jun 2025,26 mins
Thai food: Winning hearts and minds
How a government used food to influence how you view the country
19 Jun 2025,30 mins
AI in the food chain
How is artificial intelligence rewiring the global food industry?
12 Jun 2025,28 mins