Table Talk

The Table Talk podcast is on a festive break, but that doesn't mean we stop providing top content. We've delved into our archive and pulled out some of the best interviews from 2021. In this episode, Stefan Gates met Oliver Bennett; a British race car driver, turned energy drink entrepreneur. Oliver made his debut in the British Rallycross Championship in 2016 and fought for the title the following season. He is also the co-founder of Xite Energy, a brand bringing nootropic energy drinks to the mass market. Popular among Gen Z and E-sports athletes, nootropics support healthy brain function and mental ability. This podcast looks at the growing world of nootropics, as we chat to Oliver about why Xite entered the market and how the sector has developed, and will continue to grow. Why are so many E-sports athletes and Gen Z consumers embracing nootropics for cognitive health, and what can we expect from brands like Xite in the future? J Oliver Bennett Oliver Bennett is a 28-year-old British driver w

Turkey, roast potatoes, Christmas pudding, Brussels sprouts - Christmas dinner hasn't always been this way. And there is certainly no reason to think it will stay that way in the future. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates delves into the history of the Christmas dinner with food historian Seren Charrington-Hollins. Seren reveals why Victorian Christmas traditions have endured the longest, how plant-based foods have always played a role in the main festive meal, and she re-visits the once ubiquitous 'Christmas Kissing Ball'. And she tries to answer a key question; are current Christmas dinner traditions sustainable in the long-term? Seren Charrington-Hollins As a food historian, Seren has been bringing food history to life since 2007.  She has written countless articles on food and domestic history, has given countless local and national radio interviews, as well as having appeared in a variety of TV programmes and productions.  Already the published author of "A Dark History of T

Professor David Nutt, on the science behind hangovers and how new trends in the drinks market could help eradicate them for good. Alcohol is very much on the agenda as we approach the end of the year and look forward to a new one. Typically, in December we drink too much and in January, many of us think about cutting back. In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by a very special guest who can offer some real insights into our relationship with alcohol, and specifically hangovers. Professor David Nutt is a former UK Government adviser and is currently employed at Imperial College London. He reveals the cost to the economy of people being hungover, why he thinks hangovers should be considered a form of illness, and how he believes synthetic alternatives to alcohol could eradicate some of its least desirable effects. David Nutt, DM, FRCP, FRCPsych, FBPhS FMedSci DLaws David Nutt is currently the Edmund J Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology, Head of the Centre for Neuro

If you are kicking yourself for taking an arts degree when really you want to be working in the green economy - this podcast is for you. As part of the Table Talk podcast's Green Jobs series, Stefan Gates meets India Langley, Communications Manager for the innovative indoor farming company LettUs Grow. She reveals the secret to switching from the arts to science, the surprising opportunities that have arisen as a result of her own journey, and why she thinks not having a scientific background has helped her to be better at her job. India Langley, Communications Manager, LettUs Grow India Langley is a Sustainability Communicator who specialises in food and farming.  India heads up the communications and marketing team at LettUs Grow, an innovative indoor farming company that provides technology for vertical farms and greenhouses that take account of plants, people and the planet.  Their combination of farm management software and aeroponic technology maximises growth rates while minimising environmental

Most of us know that experiencing flavour doesn’t just involve our tastebuds, but what other factors are influencing us when we eat and why is it so important? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by Betina Piqueras Fiszman, Associate Professor at Wageningen University. They discuss the history of taste and flavour, and the important role they have played in human evolution. From bitterness helping us avoid poisons, to making foods more palatable for hospital patients, taste and flavour have played, and continue to play, a key role in keeping us alive. But what tricks can be used to enhance flavour? What role do emotions play in the eating experience? And what can be done for people who have lost their sense of taste as a result of Covid? Oh, and we find out if Stefan is a "supertaster". Betina Piqueras Fiszman, Associate Professor, Wageningen University Betina's research focuses on the exploration of new ways to understand consumer food preferences and motivation

Carlsberg is one of the biggest beer companies in the world, so working as its Sustainability Manager can mean making small changes that have a big impact. For the last three years, Pete Statham has been doing just that. In this episode of Table Talk, he tells Stefan Gates about how a switch to more sustainable packaging was a commercial success for the firm, and how it worked with competitors to develop the lowest carbon beer bottle in the world. He reveals that companies are now coming under pressure to be more sustainable, not just from customers, but also from investors. He talks about people in roles like his being able to balance activism with a business brain. And he sets out why he thinks collaboration is the key to tackling climate change.  Pete Statham, Sustainability Manager, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company & Carlsberg Group Pete has 10 years’ experience working in corporate sustainability, supporting some of the world’s biggest brands to become more sustainable and transparent

When the UK Government published its Obesity Strategy in 2020, many critics argued it didn't go far enough. Now, an alliance of organisations, ranging from doctors to dentists and charities to campaign groups, have come together to set out their vision for change. In this episode of the Table Talk Podcast, Caroline Cerny, Alliance Lead at the Obesity Health Alliance, joins Stefan Gates to set out why she believes their strategy could change the course of the UK's obesity epidemic. She talks about the impact of lockdown on our weight, why we need to move away from obesessing about obesity targets, and why she would like to see the end of cake sales at schools. Caroline Cerny Caroline Cerny is Alliance Lead at the Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of over 40 health charities, medical royal colleges and campaign groups. She coordinates policy development, public affairs and communications across the membership, representing their views to policy makers and the media.  Prior to this role, Caroline worked

Ever wondered how Waitrose creates its compelling food images and unique photography style? Or how Tesco’s food photos perfectly reflect their brand? Well wonder no more as Stefan is joined by award-winning food photographer to the stars, Georgia Glynn Smith.  Georgia has worked with some of the nation’s most famous and much-loved cooks from Nigella to Nigel, along with many well-known food and drink brands and retailers.   Georgia shares her passion for ‘the art of noticing’ and spills the secrets behind great food photography, as she shares hints and tips on what it takes to create the perfect photo to immortalise your product.  From understanding your brand, your voice and your audience, she takes listeners on a journey to explore how all these elements should influence the aesthetic and reflect your brand values to create the perfect picture.

Dorothy Shaver is Global Marketing Sustainability Lead at Unilever – but how did a self-confessed “hippie at heart” end up working for one of the world’s biggest companies? And how does she go about getting it to think and act in a more sustainable way? As part of our Green Jobs series, Dorothy joins Stefan Gates to talk about her journey. She reveals how she helped Unilever play a proactive role in creating a more sustainable food supply chain – through its Future 50 Foods initiative.  She also offers her top advice for making it in the industry – and why she thinks we need to stop talking about sustainability and start talking about restoration and regeneration. About our panel Dorothy Shaver, Global Marketing Sustainability Lead, Unilever Dorothy is a Registered Dietitian working in food sustainability with unique experience in, and passion for, driving behaviour change for positive health and environmental outcomes. Over the past fifteen years she has worked across media, retail, health care, and the

Trying to get kids to eat their 5 a day can be a losing battle, but a battle that one man is brave to enough to take on. Dan Power, Chief Executive of Veg Power, and mastermind behind the Eat Them to Defeat Them campaign, joins Stefan Gates to talk about how a campaign to overpower veg has helped to increase vegetable sales by 500 million children’s portions.  Dan shares his passion and ambition to transform every family’s dinner table into a place of joy, discussing the importance of looking at life through the lens of a child to help children change their bias towards fruit and veg, and  his new seasonal veg campaign which will help a different generation of parents bring up their kids in a more sustainable and healthy way.

This episode delves further into our exploration of food science and nutrition and continues to explore just how food affects our bodies.  Protein is often see as the magic ingredient in our diets, the key to unlocking our fitness and strength – but are these spurious health claims or does protein provide genuine health benefits? Richard MacKenzie, Director for Sport & Exercise Science Research Group, Roehampton University joins Stefan to explore what protein is, why we really need it in our diet and how much we should be consuming.  From the role of protein shakes to the benefits to bicep muscles, listen to some fascinating facts and advance your understanding of this complex and often misunderstood area of nutrition science.

The food industry in Denmark is renowned for ambitious sustainable goals. This episode gathers a top panel of Danish experts who describe how the sector is working collaboratively with government, business, academics along with some non-conventional partnerships to continue to raise the bar on sustainability. Green technologies, resource efficiency, food waste, innovative business models, mainstreaming circular thinking, embedding sustainability across education and supporting consumer behaviour change are just some of the themes they tackle. Join the discussion with Camilla Lercke Odgaard, Director, Head of Sustainability & ESG at Chr. Hansen; Rubin Dollerup Nielsen, Business Development Manager at Food at Food & Bio Cluster Denmark and Berit Chavez Azeri, Investment Manager, UK & Ireland at Invest in Denmark to explore the secret ingredients to Denmark’s sustainability success, the benefits to the local economy and what other countries can learn from the Danish approach.

Continuing our conversations about careers, this episode's focus is on food science. What does it take to be a food scientist? Must you be a geek in a lab coat or have a Frankenstein-like interest in food? Stefan Gates lifts the lid on food science –  what is it and what does it involve? What are the different roles in the profession, and what are the range of skills, and interests, you need to excel? He is joined by Jo Tivers, Head of Food and Quality at KFC, voted most likely to design ready meals for out of space when she left school, and Carole Bingley, Senior Associate Principal Scientist for Product and Ingredient Innovation at Reading Scientific Services. Sharing their passion for all things food and science related, our guests discuss the opportunities within industry, their own unique careers paths, and the secret behind developing a product that tastes truly amazing.

This episode continues our series of conversations taking us inside food science and it centres on the role of micronutrients as we age. For decades, medical scientists and the food industry have studied this microscopic world of vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, essential fatty acids and more in a bid to understand the true extent of the role they play in nutrition and health.   Dr Christina Mesch, a nutrition scientist and product manager at SternVitamin GmbH & Co. talks to Stefan about how we should approach the lifelong task of getting the right micronutrients in our diet and how they can benefit immune health and the prevention of  chronic disease.  Join them for an exploration into this fascinating area of nutrition science and find out how food innovation is helping to fortify key food and drinks to support the healthy ageing process.

This episode is all about green jobs. David Reay, Professor of Carbon Management and Education at the University of Edinburgh, and member of the UK Government's Green Jobs Taskforce speaks to Stefan from COP 26 in Glasgow, where the future of green jobs have been central to the discussions. The UK government has an ambition to create 2 million more green jobs over the next 9 years - part of the plan for an economy with zero fossil fuel emission. But, are we really ready for green jobs?  Join the conversation to explore what we actually mean by a green job and why all jobs in every sector will soon be seen through a ‘green lens.’ Hear how universities are moving to embed sustainability, net zero and climate change across their entire curriculum to benefit student learning outcomes and skills.  Plus, find out what types of green jobs are on offer across the food industry and why green skills and understanding sustainability are fundamental for a sustainable food future.

In Europe alone there are hundreds of protein brands and products, and millions of Euros-worth of sales of protein bars.  With this buoyant market growth, there’s a dilemma for every business entering this space - how do you cut through in such a crowded market? And, from the consumer side, how do you find a bar which is actually as delicious as the marketing? In this episode, Ivan Anton, Senior Development Specialist, and Floris Daamen, Marketing Manager for Performance and Active Nutrition from FrieslandCampina share their insights into the drivers behind the growth of protein, and how consumer attitudes are changing post COVID-19. With expertise ranging from low-protein to protein-plus solutions, they also explain why active nutrition, healthy ageing, digestive and immune health are major consumer trends influencing innovation in this dynamic category. The future is bright for high quality protein solutions at FrieslandCampina. Join them to hear how they are setting a new standard in innovative protein

In this episode, Stefan meets Norberto Chaclin, who is currently leading the Global Bakery Research, Development and Quality team at Mondelez International.  Mondelez International are behind some of the most well-known brands in snacks. Oreo, Belvita, Ritz and Cadbury’s just to name a few. The business has a significant growth aspiration to bring their brands to new markets and to new consumers and they do this through global innovation. In the global bakery research and development part of the business, Norberto and his team find themselves dealing with hundreds of innovation projects across the globe at any one time.  Tracking and measuring the success and impact of these projects is fundamental to the business being able to achieve the growth plans and the management of this on a global scale  is a complex, demanding, diverse and  fast-paced challenge. Norberto describes how Mondelez International has transitioned to create and implement a powerful data infrastructure that enables Mondelez Intern

The latest in the Careers Conversations series from Table Talk explores some of the secrets behind building a career in food communications and brand strategy. Sophie Caplan is a Flavours Communication Specialist at global flavour and fragrance manufacturer Givaudan. She studied English Language and Linguistics at university, during which time she started a personal food blog.  She describes how this personal interest spurred her on to find a company that aligned with her personal values - ultimately leading her to Givaudan.  She shares her journey to her dream job which now involves working with consumer insight experts and food technology teams all the way through to planning social media campaigns, photo shoots, video productions, podcasts and managing media. She is joined by Alex Ririe, Director at The Collaborators -  a specialist food and drink branding agency. Alex studied advertising management at university and went on to work in financial advertising. But, it was her passion for wine and spirits t

In this episode, Stefan talks to Sarah and Geoff Yates, founders of Sea Arch - a distilled non-alcoholic spirit and 2021 winner of the prestigious Food Matters Live New Drink of the Year Award.  Building on their combined experience in the food industry - from pastry chef to wine bar owners - this enterprising couple share how they mastered flavour palettes, blended innovative botanicals on the kitchen table, and dug deep into technical and business know-how to introduce a brand new concept into a young, relatively unknown drinks category. Join the conversation to hear what they wish they’d known before starting out, how they overcame the pitfalls, hurdles and challenges of a young and unpredictable category, and the excitement they feel as they see their home grown Devon brand play a part on the global no alcohol stage.

Eat Just made history earlier this year, following a regulatory approval decision in Singapore for lab grown meat to be sold in a restaurant. System change needs to start somewhere, and this approval offers the potential to be the catalyst for changing the future of meat production and consumption and for cutting down on greenhouse gases, thus being more environmentally friendly. The 1880 restaurant in Singapore is the first restaurant in the world to have lab grown meat on their menu. The restaurant sells a trio of taster dishes using Eat Just cultured chicken: bao bun with crispy sesame cultured chicken and spring onion; filo puff pastry with cultured chicken and black bean puree; and a crispy maple waffle with cultured chicken with spices and hot sauce. In this episode, Stefan Gates is joined by visionary Josh Tetrick, Founder and CEO of Eat Just as they discuss what impact this approval process will have on the future of meat without animal slaughter,  the challenges of moving at scale, and why envi