Table Talk

For people coming out of prison, finding work can be a real struggle, but could the food industry hold the answer? There is a labour crisis in the industry at the moment, with a desperate need for a larger workforce. The Government’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee says chronic shortages could lead to further price rises and the UK becoming more dependent on food imports. In fact, it says if nothing is done to address the issue, labour shortages will shrink the sector permanently. The latest data suggests that as many as 80% of ex-prisoners are still unemployed a year after release.    So skilling up for this sector seems like a great idea. But with an industry which is increasingly hi-tech and forward thinking, is it possible to provide the right kind of up-to-date training and teach the right skills inside the prison walls? Listen to the full episode to find out more about two initiatives aimed at helping people into work after prison, how they are trying to overcome some of the unique

In the UK today there are millions of people going hungry, including an estimated two million children. It is hard to believe in a rich and resourceful country like the UK where there is, of course, more than enough food to go round. It is just not in the right place. And that is where FareShare UK comes in. FareShare is a national network of charitable food redistributors, who take surplus and waste food from the food industry and get it to frontline charities and community groups. However, this system is under severe stress.  As the retailers and food producers are becoming more sustainable and managing to reduce food waste, donations to food charities have been reducing.     To compound that, the cost of living crisis is having a major detrimental effect on the food charities themselves. So, is the food still getting to where it needs to go? And can the food industry do more to help? Carl Hawkes, Head of Network Support, FareShare UK Carl Hawkes is a multi award-winning third sector leader who is p

Catherine Washbrook Davies is one of the UK’s leading experts in diabetes, diet and weight management.  She currently has two roles, as a Diabetes UK clinical champion in Wales, and as the All Wales Nutrition and Dietetic Lead for Diabetes for NHS Wales. Catherine advocates an "everything in moderation" philosophy and says she still enjoys chocolate! She says no food group should be banned when trying to get healthier. Catherine has an amazing job whether she is advising individuals or entire communities about how to make life changing improvements. Find out more about the up-coming Food Matters Live careers event series Listen to the full episode to find out how she ended up with such a prominent role in the place she studied, why she is not so keen on nutrition advice being given out on social media, and her take on how some elements of the food industry are fuelling obesity. Catherine Washbrook-Davies MSc, BSc (Hons) RD, All Wales Nutrition and Dietetic lead for diabetes and All Wales Diabetes Preve

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy, also known as the Sugar Tax, was introduced in the UK in 2018 with the aim of tackling childhood obesity. But what might the implications be if the UK Government decides to scrap it? According to many people, it has been a great success.   Drinks manufacturers have reformulated their products, reducing the sugar content in drinks, around £300 million a year has been raised, which has been spent on things like school sports and breakfast clubs, and it is estimated the amount of sugar purchased by households through soft drinks fell by 10% in the year following the introduction. However, not everyone thinks it is a good thing. And its existence is under threat.  At the time of writing, Liz Truss has announced her resignation as UK Prime Minister, but it is not clear who will replace her. In the weeks before her resignation, it was widely reported that she was considering scrapping the Sugar Tax. As treasury minister Liz Truss said "taxes on treats" hit those on the lowest i

It is boom time for the ancient method of food production known as fermentation. And it is being driven by the growth in alternative proteins.   As the sector grows, new ingredients are being created by fermentation, and research is showing even greater possibilities for the future. Of course, as any lover of beer, wine, yoghurt, and cheese knows fermentation is nothing new.       But modern methods like biomass fermentation and precision fermentation are helping people innovate, not just through new products but also through incredible efficiencies in production.  Even at its most basic, fermentation seems like a slightly magical process.  So, in this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we investigate at the science and look to the future to ask where the sector might be heading. Listen to the full episode to find out how fermentation is defined, how the process works, and why, despite being around for centuries, it could have a significant role in the future of food. Dr Tim Finnigan, Chief Sci

"I see my job as being the guardian of COOK's values and purpose," says the company's Co-CEO, Rosie Brown. "To make sure that everybody in COOK is living the values that were set out when he started the business." It is clear from listening to Rosie that the way COOK does business is just as important to her as making a profit, if not more so. In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, she tells us how she ended up co-running the hugely popular frozen meals company. She tells host Elisa Roche she started life wanting to be a nurse, then moved into the political world, before deciding to join her brother Ed at COOK. Ed founded the business and Rosie joined three years later. They also work with another of their brothers. "We've always got on," she says. "I think it helps that Ed and I share values and have been completely united in our vision for COOK, not just in what we want to achieve but how we want to get there." Listen to the full episode to find out why Rosie believes business ca

Millions of people around the world go to bed hungry every night. It is an appalling fact, especially in a world where billions of tonnes of food is wasted every year. There are few places on Earth, if any, were hunger is more of a critical issue than in Somalia, East Africa. Malnutrition is rife in the country, which has been beset by drought and conflict. Government officials warn Somalia is on the brink of famine. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we meet the people who are working tirelessly to stop hunger, in Somalia and elsewhere in the world. Action Against Hunger works in more than 50 countries around the world, providing life-saving programmes and helping millions of people. But how does an organisation like this go about helping so many people? The Love Food Give Food Campaign Action Against Hunger UK’s Love Food Give Food campaign brings together the food and hospitality industry and their customers to take action against hunger. Through our shared love of food, we can fight

How much impact will the drought of 2022 have on the food system in the UK, Europe, and around the world? The summer of 2022 will be remembered for a lack of rain, wildfires, and extreme temperatures. For the first time since records began, Britain endured temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius. Records were broken across Europe too, with a high of 47 degrees recorded in Portugal. Rivers dried up and wildfires broke out in 19 European countries, including England, France, Spain, and Greece. The high temperatures were compounded by a lack of rain. For the UK, 2022 is the driest in nearly 50 years. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we ask: how is the extreme weather affecting food production? With climate change promising more summers like this, what does it mean for the future of the global food system? And what might the long-term impacts be of some the challenges we are beginning to face today? Professor Tim G. Benton, Research Director, Environment and Society Programme, Chatham House

"I've always realised the power of physical fitness, ever since I was very young," says Dr Greg Lessons, Health Improvement Lead at the Fire Fighters Charity. "Being in the fire service, the food environment was leading me to gain body fat." Dr Lessons says it was not just the thought of losing some weight that got him interested in nutrition, he was interested in the other ways a healthy diet could help him and his colleagues. He says things like obesity and poor nutrition within the fire service are reflective of wider society, but that there are specific challenges that need to be addressed. In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, Dr Lessons explains all about his role at the Fire Fighters Charity and the path that led him to his current job. Initially, he wanted to be a Royal Marine and went to the University of Exeter to study Sports Science, as a way into the military at officer level. "It wasn't long after starting that I realised I didn't want to join the military after all,"

Sustainability has become a key goal for so many companies in the food and drink industry, but how do you go about actually making your business more sustainable? It is clear that the food system has plenty of work to do in this area, but what is equally clear is that many things are already being achieved. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership with Tetra Pak, we dive into the company's 2022 Sustainability Report, and learn the secrets of an organisation identified as one of the 50 leading companies in the world for sustainability. How do you react to sustainability challenges when you are a vast, global organisation, with hundreds of millions of people relying on your products each day? Tetra Pak says sustainability has been at the heart of the business throughout its 70-year history, and that means it is built into the company's ethos. But things have changed over the decades, and sustainability priorities throughout the world have moved on from where they were in the mi

The morning coffee is an absolute staple of many people's lives. That first sip still feels like something of a miracle. The caffeine, the complexities of the aroma, the ritual of making it, and the associations and stories around it, all make for a special moment in the day. And across hundreds of years, those things have driven an industry to grow from nothing, to today's $460 billion market. It has been an incredible rise. More than that, it has created culture. There isn’t a part of the world that coffee has not reached and transformed.   To the point where there has even been an espresso machine used on the International Space Station. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we delve into the history of coffee and discover how it became one of the world's most popular drinks. The history of coffee is, of course, steeped in politics, not least through the evil of slavery. We look into that shameful part of coffee's story and how the impacts are still being felt today. There is intrigue to

“From a very young age, I wanted to be a lawyer,” says Paula Chin. “But I completely flunked my A-levels.” So, she followed her heart and did French at university, which eventually led to her first job in packaging. Her advice to anyone who is not sure exactly which career path to follow? “Just do the subjects that you love.” It appears to be sound advice, as Paula’s career has seen her work for Sainsbury’s, M&S, Pret A Manger, and now the World Wildlife Fund. She has worked in packaging for years and her current job title at WWF is Senior Policy Advisor on Consumption. Paula’s expertise in food packaging has proved invaluable in her current role, which involves researching, collecting evidence, and putting forward arguments to persuade authorities to design policies to the benefit of the natural environment. “There’s always reading to be done,” she tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series. “You have to keep abreast of studies, reports and information that is comi

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, but can nutrition play a role in reducing its prevalence? The UK National Health Service has identified CVD as the single biggest condition where lives can be saved over the next decade. It says, often, cardiovascular disease can be prevented by leading a healthier lifestyle. It is worth making that point again, the biggest cause of death in the world can be prevented through lifestyle choices.   It begs a couple of questions: how did we end up here in the first place? And what is preventing us from fixing it? It is obviously complex, something we don’t shy away from on this podcast, but perhaps we need to look again at the science and what people are being advised to do.   What advice can modern nutritional science bring, with its understanding of macronutrients and whole-diet approaches?    And how important can diet be in reducing our personal risk factors? Thomas Sander, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition & Dietetics, King's Col

With the vast growth in the consumption of animal protein in the 20th century came equally vast ecological problems, taking into account land use and emissions, the sector is a significant contributor to climate change. Now that may have been foreseen by some. But what might not be fully appreciated, is the remarkable way in which the food industry has innovated to address the problem.   The alternative protein sector, with its lab grown-meat, plant-based products, and precision fermentation, has been one of the most vibrant and downright fascinating stories of the past few years. But, the challenge remains huge and there are concerns we do not have enough scientists or alternative protein solutions to meet future demand and to address climate challenges. So, how can the alternative protein sector be turbo charged? Where are the gaps? Is it a lack of funding? Too little collaboration? And what about education? Is enough being done to bring through the next generation of scientists and researchers who wil

"Pick an area that's either a hobby of yours or something you invest in yourself day-to-day, be that time or money," says Nat Cooper, freelance start-up consultant. "That's what's always worked for me. Thinking about products I really like, reaching out and seeing what the opportunity is." And it is an approach that has worked wonders for Nat. Her career has seen her work with a number of different start-ups within the food and drink industry, and for the past few years she has been able to go it alone as a consultant. She also does regular work as Head of OOH at the crisp-making company Simply Roasted. But, as we often find on the Career Conversations podcast series, her career path looked like it would go in a very different direction when she first started out. Find out more about the up-coming Food Matters Live careers event series "I was really interested in the property sector and ended up doing real estate management at university," she says. "I ended up trying to explore a couple of other indust

The future of organic food has looked healthy in recent years, but how will the cost of living crisis impact the sector's growth? George Dymond, Chief Executive Officer of the organic supermarket chain Planet Organic, has a remarkable CV; featuring senior jobs at Morrisons, Tesco and Holland & Barrett.   But as he has come on board at Planet Organic, there have been rapid expansion plans announced.     So how do you go about executing a large expansion in a period where customers’ food and fuel prices are going up, when your own food and fuel prices are going up, and after the past couple of years of economic turmoil? It takes a fascinating combination of attributes to lead such change, especially in an organisation which has been a pioneer for organic food for a quarter of a century. George previously held a senior position at the mobile phone company, the Carphone Warehouse.  Mobile phones sound like they are a-million miles away from organic food, but George thinks there is a link between his pre

Just how important is biodiversity in soil, and are we doing enough to protect and promote it? These are the big questions many working in the agricultural sector are asking on a near-daily basis. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership with Anglo American, we delve into the crucial role biodiversity plays in soil health, and ask what role fertilizers have to play in protecting it. We have made episodes in the past looking at how important biodiversity is within soil, and it can be incredibly complex stuff. The British journalist, author and activist, George Monbiot has previously told this podcast soil is home to as diverse and abundant an ecosystem as a coral reef.  Protecting that biodiversity is as crucial now as it has ever been, but the question is: How can that be done, whilst also maintaining crop yields? Biodiversity plays a big part in our lives. The UN defines it as the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. But why is it so important? Why d

"If you feel stuck in a rut or bored at work, it may simply be down to the fact you've stopped learning," says Paul A Young, one of the world's leading chocolatiers. "You shouldn't feel guilty about that." Paul's career is fascinating, as much for the various twists and turns, as for the sheer level of achievement. He says it all began as a child, helping his mother and grandmother with the baking on a Sunday: "I wasn't very academic at school," he says. "But I did excel at arts and home economics." After initially getting into art college, he had a very late change of heart and ended up doing a BTEC in hotel and catering management at New College Durham. Find out more about the up-coming Food Matters Live careers event series In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, he reveals how he ended up working with Marco Pierre White, forming a lifelong friendship: "That's when my world changed." Paul also reveals the one piece of advice from Marco that sticks with him to this day, and it was

There is no doubt that the alternative meat and dairy sector is growing, but it is likely that we as a species will ever completely remove animals from our diet? There are huge existential reasons we should all remove meat and dairy from our diets, and thus the reliance on industrial farming and the damage that can do to the planet, not to mention the obvious; animal welfare. A 2019 YouGov report, looking at the eating habits of people in Britain, showed only one per cent identified as being vegan and just three per cent as vegetarian. So, it looks like a big mountain to climb and it could take some time. But in this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we meet a man who not only thinks it will happen, he thinks it will happen relatively soon. Klaus Mitchell is founder of the media platform Plant Based News, which produces podcasts, editorial, and plant-based lifestyle news all about making veganism and plant-based living part of the mainstream. We delve into his personal story to find out what ins

For the past few years, nutraceuticals have been a wild success story.   Whatever a customer has needed, there has been a team of researchers, product developers and marketeers bringing new solutions to aid gut health, sleep, mood, immunity, sports performance, and so on. During the pandemic, when we all became more focused on our health, the sector continued to innovate. So as we move into a time where the world is opening up, where we perhaps have a different perspective on our personal and collective health, which areas in nutraceuticals are seeing the most demand?   It is a question worth asking, because nutraceuticals are big business. And the people who can spot consumer trends and shifts in the market, will flourish. Gauging the size of the market though, is difficult. There are so many different types of products that fall into the category, it is tricky to quantify exactly how big it is. But it is clear that it is growing and it is growing across multiple sectors of society. Covid-19 changed a