Table Talk

How do we inspire young people to become fascinated by food? It's a question food teachers up and down the country are answering every day - but is their work being valued? In England, there has been a big decline in children taking a GCSE in food and nutrition, and it is the only national curriculum subject that doesn't have an A-level. That's despite the crucial role learning about food and nutrition can play in our efforts to tackle the obesity crisis. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by Louise T Davies, Founder of the Food Teachers Centre. They discuss the shortage of food teachers in our schools, the importance of giving children hands-on experience in the kitchen, and the disconnect between what is being taught in lessons and what is being served up in the school dinner hall. Louise also gives some top tips on the best way to get your children fascinated by food. Louise T Davies, Founder, The Food Teachers Centre Louise has been in food education fo

As work placements go, it's fair to say Laura Bradshaw wasn't too impressed when she was sent to a chicken producer in her third year of university. "All my peers were going off to well-known brands like Cadbury's, Nestle and M&S," she tells Elisa Roche in this episode of Career Conversations, "and I was going off to a chicken factory." But, Laura now says it was a pivotal moment in her career: "It was the best grounding I could have hoped for." She describes how she got to work on product trials in France: "I was totally thrown in at the deep end. I had a great experience." Fast-forward to today, and Laura is a New Product Developer (NPD) at Pilgrim's, the UK's biggest pig producer and manufacturer. Her job is to develop new food products, which means spotting the very latest trends, and developing meals and snacks around that theme to appear on supermarket shelves. She says it's a mixture of glamour - eating in fancy restaurants to see what's titillating the trendiest tastebuds - and v

What role can probiotics play in helping all of us, whether we're casual runners or elite athletes, achieve our fitness goals? The link between diet and sports performance is a fascinating area.   At its heart is the gut microbiome - that colony of microbes that digests our food and regulates our metabolism - it can also affect our behaviour, our emotions, and our overall health. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, in partnership with Lonza, Stefan Gates asks: What is the relationship between the gut microbiome and sports performance? And what role can probiotics play in that relationship?  Shane Durkee, VP platform Innovation, Capsules and Health ingredients, Lonza  Shane Durkee is the vice president of platform innovation, ingredients, and dosage form solutions at Lonza.  An internationally trained R&D executive with more than 25 years of experience in the consumer healthcare industry, Shane has a background of developing new and innovative products, platform capabilities an

It's well known that insects are a good, and abundant, source of protein. But just because we can eat them, should we be considering whether we should? And if we should eat them, do we need to start thinking seriously about how we farm them? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by Adam Hart, Professor of Science Communication at the University of Gloucestershire. They discuss some of the ethical issues around using insects as a source of protein. Professor Hart explain what an insect is (clue: it's about more than just having six legs), and tells us how scientists try to go about measuring what an insect is feeling. And he tries to answer the biggest question: Is it morally better to feed many people with one large cow, or kill thousands of worms to feed the same number of people? Adam Hart, Professor of Science Communication at the University of Gloucestershire, Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society A biologist, broadcaster and author, Adam works on a ra

It's not every day you get a phone call that changes the course of your life, for Ellie Webb it left her "half over the moon, half terrified". Sainsbury's were calling to say they wanted to stock her new non-alcoholic drink, Caleño. At this point, Ellie was working alone, making the drink in her kitchen - Sainsbury's wanted to stock it in each of their 500 stores. "I thought to myself, I either go for this or I don't," Ellie tells Eliśa Roche in this episode of Career Conversations. She did go for it and it worked out really rather well. Caleño is now a huge success, stocked in Sainsbury's, Waitrose and M&S. It all came about when Ellie had a brainwave on a night out. She wasn't drinking alcohol, but she didn't see why that meant she had to drink sugary drinks all night. Find out how she turned her dream of creating an adult-tasting, sophisticated, non-alcoholic drink into a reality. Ellie reveals what she thinks makes the differences between dreamers and doers, how she overcame a

Is the amount of information on food labels helping or hindering us when it comes to making choices about what we purchase? Consumers are said to be demanding transparency regarding the foods they eat – from animal welfare to sustainability and health and nutrition information, they want to know it all.  Surely a better-informed consumer can make better choices for their health, right?  This may not be the case with some research suggesting labelling could even be contributing to the obesity crisis. So, are the regulations surrounding food labelling a failure? Or are consumers simply ignoring the signs? A product might boast that it is low in fat, but are shoppers interested enough to read beyond the headline and find out that it is high in sugar? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, in partnership with Ashbury – The Product Information People, Stefan Gates delves into the fascinating world of food labelling. He is joined by Ashbury's Regulatory Affairs Director, Pete Martin, as they look

What do you do about food security if your country is mostly surrounded by desert? It's a growing problem, particularly for the United Arab Emirates. It's estimated that around 120,000 square kilometres of land is lost to the desert each year. Countries like the UAE rely heavily on imported food, but efforts are being made to turn desert land, into fertile land. In fact, it's already happening - there are melons being grown in the desert around Dubai right now. But the challenge is to increase the diversity of crops being grown, as well as the size of the crops themselves. Two companies, recognised as one of the food related Expo Live global innovators at Expo 2020 hosted in Dubai, are working on some solutions. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast we find out how they are going about making the desert fertile and the cost of failing to act. Dr Dionysia Angeliki Lyra, Halophyte Agronomist, International Center for Biosaline Agriculture Dr Dionysia Angeliki Lyra has been workin

"I used to struggle at university," Dr James Morehen says. "I really had to put the effort in if I wanted to get a good grade." James says that struggle remained part of his studies through his undergraduate degree, his Masters and his PhD. "I had to re-sit a module during my Masters," he tells Elisa Roche in the latest in our Career Conversations series. But he says that was when he knew he had to show some resilience and prove himself. He certainly has done that. As well as completing his PhD, James has worked with some of the world's top athletes, including the England Women's football team and West Ham United. He is currently working as the Performance Nutritionist at the rugby union side, the Bristol Bears. And those early struggles during his studies must seem like a distant memory now, as he has recently released a book "The Performance Nutritionist". In this episode, James sets out the main differences between what he does for a living and what other nutritionists do, as well as g

An innovative company in Malaysia is aiming to transform the lives of refugees in the country, through food delivery. PichaEats, based in Kuala Lumpur, helps refugees who can cook to sell their food and make an income. Suzanne Ling is the company's co-founder and she puts it simply: "They can cook but don't have access to the market. We have access to the market, but we can't cook." And she is clear that this isn't charity work. The chefs are paid more than they spend on ingredients, and PichaEats makes a profit too - after paying marketing and distribution costs - by charging customers even more. "The chefs are partners," says Suzanne. "They're not employed by us." PichaEats is one of the food related Expo Live global innovators at Expo 2020 hosted in Dubai. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Suzanne tells Stefan Gates about how she came up with the idea for the business whilst still a student, why making a profit is seen as an important driver for what they're trying to achieve, an

There is an organisation in Japan which is taking a different approach to helping people living in food poverty. Second Harvest's Marugohan initiative doesn't simply deal in handouts, it asks for something back in return. That could be a good deed, or even, paradoxically, a small donation of food. The idea is to give people in need, some agency, a sense that they are not merely the receivers of help, but also the givers. It was started by Charles McJilton, who says he doesn't define what Second Harvest does as "helping" but more like providing a service. He compares it to a public library or hospital. In this edition of the Table Talk podcast, we focus on one of the food related Expo Live global innovators at Expo 2020 hosted in Dubai. Stefan Gates talks to Charles about how cultural factors often prevent people seeking help with food poverty in Japan, how trust of charities is low, and how Covid has affected Second Harvest's work. And they try to answer the question: 'Could this model be

Millions of people will be giving and receiving chocolate on Valentine's Day, and even more will be doing so around Easter. But do we really understand the true history of it? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by food historian, Emma Kay, to reveal the often very dark history of chocolate. The slave trade was used to exploit millions of people, who were forced to work on plantations.  It may sound like something that could never happen today, but accusations of slavery in the cocoa industry persist in parts of Africa. Not only that, but land is often destroyed as part of the farming process, and that can lead to the deaths of many. So how did it come to be that such value was put on chocolate? In this episode we venture back more than 4,000 years to the very first communities known to have experimented with cocoa beans. How the Mayans saw it as a powerful aphrodisiac, how it ended up in Europe, and the changes that led to the type of chocolate we eat today

"I was worried at the time. I didn't know what I wanted to do." Kate Halliwell was in her twenties and, despite studying biochemistry at Oxford, she wasn't sure which career path to follow. So she upped sticks and went travelling for two years. "I refer to it as my quarter-life crisis," she tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations series. It wasn't long before Kate was back in academia, gaining a Masters in nutrition, which led to civil servant roles and eventually, to joining the Food and Drink Federation (FDF). In this episode, Kate talks about National Apprenticeship Week, something the FDF is keenly involved in.  "The food sector as a whole needs new people to join," Kate says, adding that there's work to be done to educate people about the diversity of roles on offer. She also points out that many of the jobs that exist are high-skilled as food manufacturing is "becoming effectively high technology". Listen on to find out all about what the FDF does, learn more a

It's clear that the use of CBD in food and drink products in the UK is rising rapidly, but just how big can the market become? In this second Table Talk episode focussing on CBD, Stefan Gates is joined by two experts on how the supplement can be put to use. Lauren Lovatt is Founder of Plant Academy, and Dave Gibson is Founder of Gibsons Goodology. Both have extensive experience in the opportunities and challenges of producing CBD products in western markets. In this episode, they discuss why the UK has become such a big market for CBD products already, why there's still some uncertainty among consumers about how to use the supplement, and how regulation and limits on online advertising are affecting sales. Listen to our previous episode, where we looked in more detail at the facts around the CBD, and asked the question: Is the regulatory system working? Lauren Lovatt, Founder of Plant Academy Lauren is a plant-based chef and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the Plant Academy in London

The use of cannabidiol, or CBD, in food and drink is booming in the UK.  CBD-infused drinks, ice cream, functional snack bars - you name it - have helped the sector to astronomical growth in recent years.  In 2021, the sector saw sales worth £690m. But with that growth have come some questions.  In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by two experts who can tackle some of the most pressing issues around CBD.  Clinical lecturer, Dr Mikael Sodergren, explains how the supplement works, and addresses some of the "mystique" and "anecdotal claims" that surround it. Lawyer, Sarah Ellson, sets out the dos and don'ts when making claims about products containing CBD, and addresses the surprisingly complicated question of whether or not it's legal to produce it in the UK. Sarah also raises significant questions about whether the regulatory system is working. Dr Mikael Sodergren, Imperial College, London Mikael Sodergren MBChB, DIC, PhD, FRCS is a Senior Clinical Lecture

Sometimes in life, you just know you need to make a change. For Lauren Mote, that realisation came as she approached the end of her international politics degree. "I was opening my Russian politics book and thinking 'I'm not interested in this," she tells Elisa Roche. "And then (I was) picking up Harold McGee's 'On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen'." Lauren says it wasn't that she'd lost interest in academia, just that the subject matter had changed. Fast forward 24 years and she's been named one of the best bartenders in the world, became Diageo's first ever Reserve Global Cocktailian, and has launched a number of successful businesses. Her career in hospitality didn't start with quite so much glamour, although she does say she got "gratification" from her job as a singing hamburger dresser when she was 16. Listen on to hear about the strong female figures who inspired Lauren to succeed, how she sees herself as still very much on a career journey, and get her top tip fo

Where is the plant-based food sector heading? It's a simple question that formed the basis of a Food Matters Live event held in 2021. Hosted by Mandy Saven from Stylus Media Group, our panel of experts gave their views on what plant-based diets might look like in future. They tackle issues like how to make plant-based meat alternatives an attractive colour, how farmers are being persuaded to move from growing crops for feed to growing crops for food, and the increasing importance of clean labels. And some new questions were raised too… Is mimicking meat the right approach for younger generations? How healthy are some of the plant-based products we see on our shelves? And - is fish the new frontier in plant-based innovation? Mandy Saven, Director of Consumer Lifestyle, Stylus Media Group With over 15 years’ experience in trends, consulting and journalism, Mandy is an expert at distilling food culture and consumption, flavour and ingredient innovation, and the future of food.  She also

How do you persuade people to move to a more sustainable diet? And how do we ensure that we're making choices that are good for our health as well as the planet? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, brought to you in partnership with Kellogg's Europe Wellbeing Team, we delve into the world of sustainable diets, and look at the role plant-based foods have to play. Stefan Gates is joined by two world-leading voices on the topic. Dr Giles Yeo, programme leader at the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit at the University of Cambridge, and Dr Hazel Wallace, Doctor and Founder of The Food Medic. They look at some of the psychology behind the food choices we make, and why changing people's diets is often more about persuading than dictating. They discuss how cereals are often under appreciated for the role they can play in a healthy plant-based diet. And they highlight three factors; price, time and knowledge, which they say affect the food choices many of us make. Dr Giles Yeo, programme leader at

When Graeme Tomlinson started posting graphics on Instagram, it was just a side-hustle. "I was a personal trainer who was doing this in their spare time," he tells Elisa Roche in the second episode of the Career Conversations podcast series. Over the course of a few years, he'd built his Instagram following to around 30,000, then all of a sudden, things took off. "I think I'd done about 2,000 posts at that point," he says. Today he's only done about 800 more but he has over one million followers. Graeme's posts, under the name The Fitness Chef, are quite simple at first glance, but they are extremely effective. Often he posts photos of two bits of food, maybe toast with avocado next to toast with chocolate spread, and highlights the surprising difference in calories. So how did he become a social media superstar? How does he cope with being bombarded with requests for advice online? And why did he once lose his rag in a health food store? Listen now to find out all of that, as well as Gra

There's no doubt about it, flavour is a key factor in the success of any alcohol-free drink, but it's also one of the most difficult areas to master. How do you match the flavour of a single malt whisky, the taste of a session IPA, or the burn of a shot of tequila? Is it even about trying to replicate the taste of alcohol or should efforts be focused on different aspects? In this episode of Table Talk, brought to you in partnership with Kerry, we delve into these questions, as well as the science and the art of flavouring low and no alcohol drinks. We find out just how much work goes into getting the right flavour, including the sniff, taste and session tests. It's no surprise that good quality ingredients are seen as a major factor, but our experts say provenance is becoming increasingly important too, as is sustainability. And find out the one alcoholic drink each of our panel would really love to replicate but without the booze. Michel Aubanel, Flavour Ingredients Global Development D

How can you build a brand when you can't advertise or launch promotions, and there are restrictions on where you can position your products in shops? It's a dilemma many food companies are facing ahead of new legislation due to be enforced in England from October 2022. It means there will be restrictions on how foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar - collectively known as HFSS - can be promoted. The new rules will see the end of deals like buy-one-get-one-free, a ban on free soft drink refills, and restrictions on where HFSS products can be placed in a store – think sweets at the till. So what can affected brands do to make sure consumers are still aware of their products? In this episode of Table Talk, Stefan Gates is joined by three experts in this field who discuss the challenges and opportunities on the horizon. They discuss how marketing teams are going to be forced to think more creatively, why 2022 is going to be key for building up a customer database, and why premium HFSS brand