Food Matters Live Podcast

David Hartigan, CEO of Blink Drinks, builds tasty functional beverages. Michelle Butler, Innovation Director at Good For You, designs plant-forward, clean-label snacks. Eimear Connolly, Head of Technical and Innovation at Future Nutrition, focuses on evidence and stability. John Corr, culinary nutrition lead at Sodexo, champions fibre-first, chef-led gut health. They discuss taste-first drinks, dehydrated veg in granola, GLP-1‑aware NPD and functional mushrooms.

Dr. Anniko Korozi, Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam studying early life adversity, neuroimmune mechanisms and nutritional interventions. She discusses how early nutrients like omega-3s and choline may protect lifelong cognition. Short talks cover microglia, maternal milk as a transfer route, and promising botanicals such as spearmint and curcumin.

Niamh Brannelly, Danone nutrition lead who turns science into clear consumer messages. Adam Townsley, Yo! Sushi innovation chief crafting trend-driven, talkable menus. Ben Richardson-Hughes, Greene King menu developer balancing classics with fresh twists. John Brennan, Tesco fresh foods director shaping category and store strategy. They discuss how trends travel from social to shelves, retail agility, talkable flavors, fusion hits and the 2026 trend outlook.

Dairy products may be perceived as 'much-loved by uninspiring' in some quarters, but there's plenty of work being done to change the category's image.In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, we discover how it's being transformed through the prism seven consumer lifestyle pathways.We learn about communal dining trends driving butter and cheese boards across Gen Z, and "prejuvenation" - where 20-somethings obsess over aging and drive collagen-infused dairy innovation.And there is a GLP-1 angle. As appetite suppressors change how people experience food, dairy is leaning into sensory innovation - texture (yogurts with three different textures in one pot), olfactory cues (fragrance as a purchase driver in Chinese RTD teas), and maximalist joy. From milk manga comics revealed as Japanese schoolchildren empty their bottles, to Velveeta's unapologetic 100-year celebration with nail polish and candles, dairy's future isn't about being healthy and boring - it's about nutrient density delivered with color, fun, and connection.

The next wave of protein innovation is here - and it looks nothing like the plant-based burgers that dominated the last five years. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event in 2025, we explore two radically different approaches to meat alternatives.Mycelium fermentation that grows centimetre-length muscle-like fibres, requiring just four ingredients, and extremophilic micro algae that thrive at pH 1 without contamination or arable land.But our panel of experts also confront the hard numbers: with billions of chickens slaughtered annually and current meat consumption mathematically unsustainable by 2050, these innovations must need to achieve price parity, superior nutritional value, and genuine consumer acceptance to make a meaningful impact.

Derek Conlon, chef-turned-innovation lead at Keebak; Stephen Humphreys, hospitality culinary director in London; Audrey Crone, Unilever Food Solutions executive chef; Michael Kilkey, mycoprotein culinary head; Rory Boyce, stadium food executive chef. They explore borderless fusion, hot honey and sweet-spicy trends, mushrooms/fermentation and koji, hybrid proteins and microproteins, seaweed and creative upcycling of byproducts.

Can you reformulate a product to reduce sodium by 25% without losing the rich savoury profile consumers expect? And even if you can, will shoppers actually buy it? The UK's high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) regulations have sparked the biggest wave of reformulation the food industry has seen in decades - but success requires far more than technical prowess. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, three speakers reveal the complex reality of making food healthier while keeping consumers coming back for more.And there's another challenge: just as companies invest millions reformulating to current benchmarks, there are further changes in the works. How can industry maintain momentum when the regulatory goalposts keep moving, and 40% of shopping baskets still come from HFSS products?

What happens when 12% of US adults start using weight loss medication that suppresses their appetite? We're finding out in real time - and the food industry is working to respond. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our event in Dublin in November 2025, we look at how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are already leading to retailers and manufacturers all over the world fundamentally rethinking their strategies.The numbers are stark: households using GLP-1s spend 6% less on food overall, meanwhile, protein yogurts, meat snacks, nutrition bars and fresh produce are thriving as users seek nutrient-dense foods to maintain nutrition while eating far less.GLP-1 isn’t a side story, in fact, this consumer segment is already the same size as the vegan/vegetarian market in the UK. And the signs are that it’s only going to grow.The real challenge is, we don't know if users will take these drugs once, multiple times in cycles, or continuously at maintenance doses - and each scenario requires completely different food industry responses.

Dr Kate Sinnott, science communicator at Yakult Europe, explains fermented foods, probiotics and how to communicate evidence. Dr Sandra Einand, food scientist and postbiotics researcher, outlines stable heat‑inactivated microbes and expanding clinical trials. They discuss postbiotics, plant-based meat fibres boosting SCFA producers, fermented foods versus probiotic claims, and how to convey complex gut-health benefits simply.

Antonio Weiss, author of AI Demystified and AI strategist since 2018, explains where AI truly helps food and drink innovation. He separates hype from reality. He highlights real brand use cases, when to use foundation models versus specialist models, and the tradeoffs around transparency, data and personalised experiences.