Table Talk

The amount of salt, or specifically sodium, we consume is a global health problem. The World Health Organization says most people around the world consume double the recommended amount every day - and it's leading to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and heart attacks. But, we seem to be addicted to the stuff and, despite high-profile health campaigns, we're not really seeing much in the way of salt reduction in our overall diets. This episode of the Table Talk podcast is made in partnership with Saltwell, a company that may have found a solution. Saltwell has found a type of salt mineral in the South American desert that contains both sodium and potassium. Potassium can counteract the negative effects of sodium, so this salt contains less of the bad stuff - 35 per cent less. Crucially, Saltwell says the natural product behaves exactly like standard salt and tastes exactly the same. Listen to the full podcast to discover why humans crave salt, why salt is so prevalent in proce

Does being an entrepreneur in the food sector mean doing everything yourself? Not according to Ayesah Grover, CEO and founder of strp'd, a company that makes flour, milk and flakes out of tigernuts. In the episode of the Career Conversations series, Ayesha tells Elisa Roche that collaboration and outsourcing are hugely important: "I don't think anyone can do absolutely everything." She says, although she is a one-woman team, she outsources some of her social media content, product development and package design. That doesn't mean being hands-off though: "I'm very involved in every process." In this episode, Ayesha reveals what tigernuts actually are, and how she came to find them and turn them into a number of successful products. She also tells us how she benefited from joining the Amazon Launchpad programme, and how disaster turned to success when the first Covid lockdown hit just as she was about to launch her brand new product. Ayesha Grover, CEO and Founder, strp'd After a number

The ketogenic diet is everywhere you look, promoted as a quick way to lose weight. It seems to tap into something within many of us and comes with the added attraction of appearing to be based in some scientific theory. There is also the fact that there is evidence that, under proper medical supervision, the low-carb diet can be effective for children with drug-resistant epilepsy. But is it all it's cracked up to be when it comes to weight loss and could there be some damaging effects? Keto certainly has a number of high-profile supporters, but there are just as many people warning of the dangers. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by the London Chair of the British Dietetic Association, Sophie Medlin, to explore the science and bust the myths. She sets out what a typical keto diet meal plan might look like, how ketosis works, and why the diet is proving so popular. She also discusses potential risks to gut health, the impact the diet can have on our relatio

Rising inflation is hanging over every household and business in the country. In January 2022, overall prices were rising at around 5 per cent, with food a key contributor. So how will rising prices affect the food industry? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by two experts in this field. Tim Lloyd is Professor of Economics at Bournemouth University, Fraser McKevitt, is Head of Retail and Consumer Insight at Kantar. They look at how today's rate of inflation compares to recent - and not so recent - history, the factors that are driving prices up around the world, and they discuss who is likely to be worst-affected. Will supermarkets keep prices down to protect their market share? Will that lead to even more pressure on suppliers? And what can companies and individuals do to mitigate against the worst effects? Tim Lloyd, Professor of Economics, Bournemouth University Tim Lloyd is Professor of Economics in the Business School. He was appointed in July 2015 ha

When Mark Whalley was doing his degree in English Literature and Creative Writing, he had no idea that he would end up happily working as Consumer Insights Controller for a major food company. "I didn't know what consumer insights was," he tells Elisa Roche in the latest Career Conversations episode. "I thought I would be a primary school teacher." But it was when he saw a job advertised that he thought it was worth a shot. He says he didn't apply because he had a particular interest in the sector, he just thought he would be good at it. And, it turns out, he was. He now works for Greencore, a major food manufacturer, supplying lots of different types of convenience foods. Greencore make just about everything, from ready meals, to soups, sushi, and quiche. Mark describes it as "the biggest company you've never heard of". He says that after a couple of years working in the sector, he discovered a real passion for working out what shoppers want. Although he studied English, he says anyone w

Benjamina Ebuehi says for a long time, she never saw baking as a career. "I didn't want to work in a restaurant kitchen or run a bakery," she says. "And I didn't really know what else I could do with it." So she carried on with her degree in Economics at the University of Leicester, and kept baking for friends at the weekends. But that all changed, when she appeared on The Great British Bake Off in 2016. In this episode of the Career Conversations series, Benjamina tells us all about her time on the show: "As a watcher, it does look like a lot of fun.. but being in the show is definitely more intense than I was expecting. "You're practicing at home all the time, every single day... it was tough but really enjoyable." And being on Bake Off wasn't her only career-defining moment. Benjamina says one day she was making a cake for a food video, when she met a food stylist - and that sparked something in her. Sign up for our Food Photography Masterclass with world-renownd food photographer Georgi

The market for plant-based food and drink is undoubtedly growing, but what does that mean for the types of products we might see on the shelves in 2022? This year's Veganuary was the biggest ever, and Marks and Spencer alone has added 175 new plant-based products to its range this year. But with a seemingly every-expanding customer base, how do producers understand what it is they want? How do you target what used to be niche products, when your customers have so many varied needs and desires? And if more and more people are looking to buy plant-based, what does that do to the types of products that are being produced? Join one of our plant-based Masterclasses March 9th 2022 - Latest retail and consumer trends in a growth category: plant-based foods March 30th 2022 - Launching a Plant-Based Brand: from niche to opportunity In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by two experts in the market to discuss who will be buying plant-based food and drink in 2022. Roh

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