Table Talk

What are the key ingredients that the best future  brands share as they carve their path to success? Are there ways aspiring young brands can tap into their success as they are starting out? This episode of the Table Talk Podcast will ask the industry experts who judged the Future Brands competition at Food Matters Live to get their perspective on the recipe that helps fuel success. Joining our panel are  Emma Williams, head of Future Brands Origination and investing at Sainsbury's, and returning for the third time on the podcast is Andy Wardlaw Chief Ideas Officer at MMR Research. We'll also be hearing from some of the winners of the Future Brands competition to see what advice they have for aspiring young brands. Join us! Be recognised as a brand of the future, enter the Food Matters Live Awards The prestigious Food Matters Live Awards is back, celebrating outstanding innovations from across the food, drink and nutrition sectors. Spanning across 12 exciting categories, the shortlisted Food Matters Live

By and large, consumers perceive that supermarkets have come out of the pandemic relatively well. After initial problems, they’ve been expanding delivery services, working to ensure the elderly and vulnerable receive provisions and sourced enough produce to ensure the nation is fed. Indeed, as one of the few permissible reasons to leave the home under lockdown, the weekly grocery shop became a source of relative normality. As we ease out of lockdown, what comes next for grocery retailers? To find out we speak to global professional services company and technology leader Accenture. How can grocers hold onto and build on the sense of mission developed over the last 12 months? Will shopping continue to be an experience that people look forward to, as we move to a more normal way of living? And how do they capture the attention of those consumers who wish to stay and shop local? All this and more is in focus in this fascinating chat with Suzanne Robinson, Director for Innovation in Consumer Goods and Retail

The UK Government has committed to reduce carbon emissions by 78% by 2035, and it has been specifically recommended by the Committee on Climate Change that meat and dairy consumption are reduced by 20% by 2030, rising to 35% by 2050 for meat only. What role do our eating habits have on the environment, and will cutting meat and dairy consumption help the environment? Joining us to discuss these targets, and what change needs to happen for us to achieve them are Chris Venables, Head of Politics, Green Alliance and Dr Michael Clark, Researcher, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford. We find out the state of the challenge the government has to meet climate change goals, and what behaviour change needs to be encouraged in order for it to happen. About our guests Chris Venables, Head of Politics, Green Alliance Chris runs Green Alliance’s Political Leadership theme. He works to build the political momentum for bold and ambitious political action on the climate and nature crises. He man

We all feel better when we've had a good nights sleep, right? However, many people are finding it harder than ever to sleep, especially due to stress and anxiety which has been heightened due to the pandemic. The number of people suffering from sleep loss due to stress has risen from one in six to one in four, how is this sleep loss impacting physical and mental health? Joining us today to delve into the subject are Alanna Hare, Consultant in Sleep and Ventilation, Royal Brompton Hospitals Trust and Dr Neil Stanley, Director of Sleep Science at Sleepstation.org.uk. They'll explain the role sleep plays in our overall health, the impact of the pandemic and the latest developments in our understanding of how to improve sleep. About our panel Alanna Hare, Consultant in Sleep and Ventilation, Royal Brompton Hospitals Trust Dr Alanna Hare is a consultant in sleep and ventilation at Royal Brompton Hospital with responsibility for specialist clinics in sleep disorders and domiciliary ventilation Dr Neil Stanley,

Researchers in the US have discovered a way of turning food waste into a type of paraffin that can be used in jet engines. Now, the concept of bio fuels is not new, but normally biofuels have to come from ‘virgin’ vegetables that are grown especially for fuel. This alternative method is able to turn food waste, animal manure and waste water into a competitive, cleaner jet fuel. Could this solve two issues at once? Simultaneously reducing food waste and creating a cleaner jet fuel? Joining the Table Talk Podcast this week is Derek Vardon, Research Scientist and Project Team Leader, NREL to explain their research, how it will help, and how the first flights will be taking the air with Southwest Airlines in the US in 2023. About our panel Derek Vardon, Research Scientist and Project Team Leader, NREL Derek Vardon is a Research Scientist and Project Team Leader working at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, USA) to decarbonize aviation and heavy-duty ground transportation with low-cost, low-net c

ZOE has been the source of some of the most groundbreaking research around nutrition and how the food we eat affects us individually. Formed three years ago when Tim Spector joined forces with Jonathan Wolf and George Hadjigeorgiou, ZOE was founded on the belief that new technologies could enable scientific research at an unprecedented scale, allowing us to understand individual responses in the real world. ZOE has given us a greater understanding of our highly individual responses to nutrients and stimulus, thanks to their pioneering studies. In this Table Talk we look back to the discussions we've had with Tim Spector, Jonathan Wolf and PREDICT 2 research lead Dr. Sarah Berry, and highlight the insight they've uncovered through their research. About our guests Jonathan Wolf, Co-Founder & CEO, ZOE Jonathan is a cofounder and CEO of ZOE, a nutritional science company on a mission to help people eat with confidence. Previously he was Chief Product Officer for machine learning company Criteo, helping t

Covid-19 patients suffer a deterioration of overall health and weight loss,  and while nutrition can be integrated into their treatment to aid recovery it is often overlooked. In this week’s podcast we talk to Dr Riccardo Caccialanza and Shane McAuliffe to explore the role nutrition can play in aiding COVID-19 recovery. Is there any practical, clinical guidance that can be shared to help those who have been affected? What specific nutritional needs do those who are impacted by COVID have? We find out. About our panel Dr Riccardo Caccialanza, Head of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Unit at Policlinico San Matteo Medical Doctor specialized in Clinical Nutrition. Director of the Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Unit of the Research Hospital Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia (Italy). Author of more than 100 scientific papers in the field of Clinical Nutrition. Contract Professor at the University of Pavia (Degree Course in Dietetics; Specialization Schools of Gastroenterology and Oncology). Sec

UK households still waste 4.5m tonnes of food a year that could be eaten, in fact the majority (71%) of edible food waste in the UK happens in the home. To succeed in reducing food waste, the public need to be engaged and motivated to reduce their own waste. Could encouraging behavioural change and providing access to pioneering apps like Olio be essential tools to create this social movement? Joining host Stefan Gates are David Hall, Founder & Executive Director, Behaviour Change, and Tessa Clarke, Co-founder & CEO, Olio to share their viewpoints on what needs to happen for consumers to reduce the amount of food they waste. About our panel David Hall, Founder & Executive Director, Behaviour Change During a thirteen-year career in advertising, David created a series of step-changing campaigns; his multi award-winning strategy for Skoda helped transform perceptions of a car that had long been the butt of jokes. In 2006, David became International Campaign Director at The Climate Group, working

“Innovation is often the result of partnerships.” A unique standing relationship with partner brands and the newest cutting-edge technology with Cambridge Commodities and Gencor. This podcast will have you wanting more. Cambridge Commodities (CC) have joined their very first table talk podcast with Food Matters Live to bring you a deeper insight into the latest trends and innovation in the food & beverage, health & wellbeing, and sports nutrition sectors. Mariko Hill, Product Development Executive from CC’s partner brand Gencor, and CC Innovation Specialist Zeke Stevens, join host Stefan Gates to delve further into this partnership. In the podcast we explore how manufacturers can benefit with their new AquaCelle® delivery system from Gencor combined with CCs’ sustainably sourced fish oil while expanding product applications to help meet consumer demand, amongst an array of insights. What partnership means to CC With 22 years of experience, it is this knowledge that has allowed CC to join man

In this episode of Table Talk we explore the development of bio based plastics, the latest innovations in the space and their true potential as viable alternatives to plastic. Are they the sustainable plastic solution we need to save the planet? Joining us to explain what bioplastics are, and to shed light on the impact they could have are two experts in the field, David Newman, Executive Director, BBIA and Constance Isbrucker, Head of Environmental Affairs, European Bioplastics. Join us in a fascinating look into the world of bioplastics. About our panel David Newman, Executive Director, BBIA David Newman lived in Europe and the Middle East until 2014 when he returned to the UK. He was the Executive Director of Greenpeace Italy 1994-1997; from 1999 until 2014 he led the Italian composting and biogas association CIC and he led the Italian Bioplastics Association from 2011 to 2015. From 2012 to 2016 he was President of the International Solid Waste Association in Vienna and initiated the 2015 Global Waste

FareShare is the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, with more than 30 Regional Centres across the country. It takes food from the food industry that can’t be sold in shops, either because of packaging errors or a short shelf life. FareShare has worked with Tesco since 2012 to help alleviate poverty in the UK by ensuring surplus food within its supply chain is used to feed people and doesn’t end up as waste. Joining host Stefan Gates for a fascinating look into how charities, brands and retailers are working together to alleviate food waste by distributing surplus food to those who need it are Helen Davies, Retail Partners Senior Manager, FareShare, Claire de Silva, Head of Community and Local Media, Tesco, Nicola Mackay, Community Food Programme Manager, Tesco and Dr Mansukh Morjoria, Trustee, Shree Jalaram Mandi. About our panel   Helen Davies, Retail Partners Senior Manager, FareShare Helen Davies is a Senior Commercial Manager at FareShare. She manages relationships with some our key retail part

Anthony Warner is known as the Angry Chef who looks to ‘expose lies, pretensions and stupidity in the world of food.’ He has a new book out ‘Ending Hunger: The Quest to Feed the World without destroying it’. In the book he argues that we need significant fundamental change if we have any hope of being able to feed the world in 2050. ‘Without substantial reduction in the number of animal products that we consume, within the next few decades, agriculture will raise global temperatures by two degrees, destroy all of the world’s forests and drive a million species to extinction… we desperately need to change consumption, shrinking down the powerful meat and cattle industries, something that they will fight every step of the way… this is probably the most difficult battle we face.’ Stefan Gates joins Anthony for a fascinating, and often frightening, look at the challenges the food industry faces, and what changes in public policy and approaches could make a huge impact on our future on the planet. About Antho

Personalised nutrition is the future. With science showing that even twins who share similar DNA have individualised health responses to food and drink, it's clear that we need a more personal approach to our health and nutrition needs. How can we determine what is right for us, what we need to support our health, and what tools can assist us? Joining us in this latest episode in our series on personalised nutrition are Nard Clabbers, Chief Science Officer, Happ, and Philipp Schulte, CEO & Co-Founder, Baze Labs who will guide us through the technical advances that will illuminate the personal nutrition that we need, and what the future will look like for this exciting sector of healthy food and drink. About our panel Nard Clabbers, Chief Science Officer, Happ After his study of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, Nard Clabbers worked for the food industry for more than a decade as the liaison between marketing and science. In 2011 he joined Dutch research organisation TNO to l

As the US reels from the damage caused by COVID-19, one of the long-term impacts will be on food poverty and food security in the US. A staggering 50 million Americans will experience food insecurity, including 17 million children, a level of hunger not seen in the US since the Great Depression. At Food Matters Live in March, a panel discussed the challenges the country faces as it tries to tackle inequality, and lack of access to healthy food, that sit in the way of building an inclusive food system. Taking part are Michael T. Roberts, Executive Director, Resnick Center for Food Law and Policy, UCLA, Danielle Nierenberg, President & Founder, Food Tank, Dr. Sally Rockey, Executive Director, Foundation for Food & Agriculture, Anne Byrne, Phd Student, Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Caitlin Welsh, Director, Global Food Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Dr. Travis A. Smith, Associate Professor, Department of Agriculture and Appl

The UK has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Europe, and COVID has impacted the efforts to reduce this number as lockdowns take their toll on activity levels and eating habits. With healthy food costing more per calorie than unhealthy food, how can this growing child obesity crisis be addressed by government, industry and the public? What needs to happen to hit the targets that have been set for 2030? Joining host Stefan Gates are an expert panel to examine the child obesity crisis including Christina Marriott, CEO, Royal Society of Public Health and Chris Thomas, Senior Research Fellow, IPPR. They’ll examine where we are right now and offer ways that we can improve our understanding of health and nutrition to tackle the issues we face. About our panel Christina Marriott, CEO, Royal Society of Public Health Christina has been Chief Executive of RSPH since May 2020. Previously, the Chief Executive of Revolving Doors Agency. She has experience in both national and regional roles in the NHS

Derek Sarno, co-founder of Wicked Healthy, LLC, and Executive Chef & Director of Plant-Based Innovation for Tesco PLC, has taken a fascinating journey on his path to revolutionising plant-based food across the world. From personal tragedy, to discovering compassionate eating in a Buddhist monastery, to bringing plant-based food to the masses his story provides a unique window into what drives his passion for change. Host Stefan Gates joins Derek to hear his story, and to discover what's next at Wicked Healthy and Tesco for plant-based food and drink. About Derek Sarno Derek Sarno is the co-founder of Wicked Healthy, LLC, and also serves as Executive Chef & Director of Plant-Based Innovation for Tesco PLC, where he is leading the company’s efforts to bring delicious, unpretentious vegan foods to market. Prior to co-founding Wicked Healthy and partnering with Tesco, Derek served as the Senior Global Executive Chef for Whole Foods Market, where he oversaw global research and development for the compa

The growth in popularity and scope of E-sports in the past ten years has created a new type of performance athlete. With tournaments such as the League of Legends World Championship, which was watched by 99.6 million people in 2018 alone, gaining huge audiences and offering substantial prize money the stereotypical image of a video gamer has been replaced by serious E-sports athletes who have nutritional needs just like in traditional sports. Joining us today, in partnership with Gelita, is an expert panel who will give us a look inside the world of E-sports to find out how this growing group of athletes can be supported through nutrition. Host Stefan Gates meets Oliver Weingarten, Founder & CEO, LDN Utd, Franziska Dolle, Gelita and Daniel Herman, Founder, Bio-Synergy to discover how nutrition can maintain the peak-performance an e-sport professional needs to compete at the highest level, and avoid injury and fatigue. About our panel Oliver Weingarten, Founder/CEO, LDN UTD Oliver trained as a lawyer a

The COVID pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have created a unique 'perfect storm' for the work place and health and wellbeing. With uncertainty affecting many, and remote working leaving many employees feeling more isolated, how can businesses support mental health and improve the wellbeing of their staff? What lessons can we learn from this time that can be applied for the future? Joining host Stefan Gates is an expert panel including Amanda Scott, Director of Talent, Learning and D&I, Compass Group, Sally Wilson, BSc, PhD, FRSA, Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Employment Studies and Maggi Rose, Head of Programme Evolution, Mental Health at Work. They'll share their own experience, and offer up some practical ways we can all keep our workplace mental health in focus. About our panel Amanda Scott, Director of Talent, Learning and D&I, Compass Group Amanda is an experienced HR professional with extensive generalist, talent and D&I experience across a range of industry sectors including en

Why do certain foods stimulate our appetite even though we aren't hungry? How do certain foods or meals satiate our appetite more than others? How can we be more attuned to satiety to eat healthier? Do certain foods help control our appetite better than others? In this second episode of the Table Talk Podcast focused on satiety, the feeling of being full, and the science behind foods that create this feeling we're once again joined by Alexandra Johnstone, Scientist, The Rowett Institute, and this time by Kathryn O’Sullivan, Nutrition Scientist and Registered Dietitian, HRS Communications to unpack the science of satiety and to see if there are foods that can help control our appetite. About our panel Kathryn O’Sullivan, Nutrition Scientist and Registered Dietitian, HRS Communications Kathryn is a Nutrition Scientist and Registered Dietitian, specialising in public health communications. She holds a BSc in Human Nutrition and a Ph.D in clinical medicine from Trinity College Dublin, and has over 25 years of

The psychology of why we eat the food that we do, even if it isn't good for us, provides a unique insight into human behaviour. Is it our personality, our upbringing, or the stimulus that we are exposed to that control our choices and have us reaching for the unhealthy options? In the first in a series delving into the psychology of food choices and eating behaviours we join Professor Jacqueline Blissett, Chair in Childhood Eating Behaviour, Co-Director of Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University Early Career Researcher Facilitator and Patrick Fagan, Associate Lecturer in Consumer Behaviour, Goldsmith and Lecturer in Consumer Psychology, University of the Arts London to explore why we make the choices we do, and how we can make better choices in the future. About our panel Professor Jacqueline Blissett, Chair in Childhood Eating Behaviour, Co-Director of Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, Aston University Early Career Researcher Facilitator I have been working in the f