Main content

Podcast

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

Updated: weekly
Episodes available: indefinitely

Episodes to download

  •

    How risky is drinking alcohol?

    Thu 29 Aug 2024

    We look at what the evidence says about the health risks of drinking alcohol

  • What does collagen do for you?

    Thu 22 Aug 2024

    Cosmetic companies and A-listers recommend it, but how sure is the science?

  • The business of food halls

    Thu 15 Aug 2024

    Why bringing multiple food retailers under one roof is profitable

  • First impressions of a new food culture

    Thu 8 Aug 2024

    Stories of culinary discovery from across the world

  • What is 'super sweet' corn?

    Thu 1 Aug 2024

    How and why the taste of our vegetables is changing

  • What Olympians eat

    Thu 25 Jul 2024

    We find out about the diets of elite athletes and how to cater for them

  • Cooking is chemistry

    Thu 18 Jul 2024

    We explore the science behind what you do in the kitchen

  • 'Happy' cafes

    Thu 11 Jul 2024

    The restaurants in Paris, Mumbai and Istanbul whose staff have learning disabilities.

  • Your taste is unique

    Thu 4 Jul 2024

    How your perception of taste is informed by your DNA

  • How safe is the soil in our cities?

    Thu 27 Jun 2024

    Managing the risks of growing food where land is contaminated

  • Food double-acts: Couples

    Thu 20 Jun 2024

    The couples that make both a relationship and a restaurant work

  • The bakers

    Thu 13 Jun 2024

    The art and business of bread making with bakers from Nigeria, Canada & Lebanon

  • Taking weight-loss drugs

    Thu 6 Jun 2024

    How do new weight-loss medications work, and what could they mean for the diet industry?

  • Eating in the heat

    Thu 30 May 2024

    What people in Delhi eat to keep cool in the city鈥檚 blazing summer

  • The burrito story

    Thu 23 May 2024

    We trace the origins of the spicy wrap from humble Mexican street food to global hit

  • Can beef be carbon neutral?

    Thu 16 May 2024

    Farmers in Uruguay are working towards making cattle farming more environmentally friendly

  • Eat with your hands

    Thu 9 May 2024

    The art, joy and benefits of eating with your hands

  • Can I eat this flower?

    Thu 2 May 2024

    How edible flowers might add more to a dish than just decoration

  • To salt or not to salt?

    Thu 25 Apr 2024

    What sodium chloride does to your food and your body

  • Hungry at sea

    Thu 18 Apr 2024

    Why some seafarers on board cargo ships don鈥檛 have enough to eat

  • Food double-acts: TV chefs

    Thu 11 Apr 2024

    The chefs who have found brilliant on-screen chemistry with a friend

  • How to run a restaurant

    Thu 4 Apr 2024

    With restaurants up against it, what is the winning formula for running one?

  • The real Willy Wonkas

    Thu 28 Mar 2024

    What鈥檚 it really like to work in a chocolate factory?

  • Fasting and feasting

    Thu 21 Mar 2024

    Is fasting for faith good for the mind and body?

  • Why we love dumplings

    Thu 14 Mar 2024

    You say 鈥榢enkey鈥�, I say 鈥榙im sum鈥�. Where did dumplings really come from?

  • The fifth taste

    Thu 7 Mar 2024

    How to cook with umami and MSG

  • The school cooks

    Thu 29 Feb 2024

    Three lunch chefs take us behind the scenes of canteen culture

  • Is this ultra processed?

    Thu 22 Feb 2024

    What is ultra processed food, and how can you spot it?

  • Table talk

    Thu 15 Feb 2024

    Why what you talk about over dinner matters

  • Detroit's urban farmers

    Thu 8 Feb 2024

    Meet the people growing food on vacant land in this US city

  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. …
  8. 17

Food Chain highlights

Tea, coffee, spices, chillies ... snack on a selection of programme highlights

This podcast belongs to