Food Matters Live Podcast

"Don't be shy. Don't be ashamed. Apply for the jobs and schemes you would love to do."So says Taïeb Mestiri, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Manager at the Coca-Cola Company, in this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series with Elisa Roche.As millions of students prepare to receive exam results this summer, many will be thinking about their next steps, and Taïeb's story is one which should provide some inspiration.Less than four years ago he applied for an internship at Coca-Cola in Paris and it has been the start of a great partnership.He says that when he first applied, he didn't think he stood much of a chance of being taken on. But he was proved wrong and now his advice to others is to put yourself forward, even if you have some self-doubt.Find out more about the up-coming Food Matters Live careers event seriesInitially Taïeb studied for a degree in engineering, but his love of food forced him to change course, eventually studying Food Science and Nutrition at Sorbonne University.To help him through his studies, he took on various jobs, including a stint in sales at a large bakery chain.Although a career in sales wasn't his ultimate goal, he says the job gave him valuable insights into how products were made, and he has used that to help him in his later career.So, why did he take on the internship at Coca-Cola? He says he knew he wanted to work there, from the moment he went in for his internship interview."It was very impressive. I was invited into the office and it was a discussion more than an interview," he says."The most important thing is to ensure that you have a good feeling with the people doing the interview."The connection was great and I knew I wanted to work with these people."Find out more about internships and trainee schemes at the Coca-Cola CompanyWorking at such a huge company might sound like a daunting prospect for some. But Taïeb says the firm puts people at the centre of what it does and offers lots of fantastic opportunities for progression.Listen to the full episode to find out exactly what a Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Manager does, how much you can expect to earn in a similar role, and see if Taïeb reveals the top secret Coca-Cola recipe (spoiler - he doesn't but Elisa really did try).Taïeb Mestiri, Scientific and Regulatory Affairs Manager, the Coca-Cola CompanyAfter obtaining his master’s degree in nutrition, quality, and health from Sorbonne University, Taïeb stepped into the Coca-Cola Company’s world to explore his passion for food and beverage innovations. In addition to overseeing scientific and regulatory compliance for France, he has joined the research and development team for a part time experience to express his creativity and co-create refreshing beverage innovations. His aim is to support food and beverage companies to meet the evolving consumer expectations by creating meaningful, sustainable, and tasty innovations.He is a naturally curious person who believes in safe, collision-rich spaces as fertile ground for creativity and innovation.He spends his free time reading articles, playing the guitar, and cooking comforting dishes.

There is no doubt that the UK is a nation of curry lovers, curry addicts even, with many of our best, and biggest nights out happening in Indian restaurants.  They are a huge player in the UK food industry. Estimates vary, but one trade group suggests curry houses employ 100,000 people and have annual sales of £4.2 billion.  And that’s not even counting supermarket sales, recipe book sales, and so on.   The impact on our food culture is immense.And the UK is not alone. In so many parts of the world, there’s a big curry culture. Whether you’re sitting under palm trees in Durban, or on a night out in Glasgow, you’re part of a global curry scene.And with this global spread comes a fascinating history, bringing together centuries of trade, immigration, colonisation and culinary innovation.But how do you define a curry? Why has this amalgamation of cuisines become so popular? And what does the future hold?Listen to the full episode to find out why the British in particular have fallen in love with curry, how curry powder first emerged, and how curry has travelled around the world and influenced so many dishes.Shrabani Basu, Journalist and AuthorShrabani Basu is a journalist and Sunday Times best-selling author. Her books include the critically acclaimed The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer: Arthur Conan Doyle, George Edalji and the Foreigner in the English Village, For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-18, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant (now a major Oscar-nominated motion picture starring Dame Judi Dench and Ali Fazal) Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan, and Curry: The Story of the Nation’s Favourite Dish. She is the founder and chair of the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust which campaigned for a memorial for the World War II heroine in London. It was unveiled by Princess Anne in 2012. She is an ambassador for the RAF Museum in London. Shrabani is a frequent commentator on radio and television on Indian history and Empire. She has featured on BBC Saturday Kitchen and appeared on Heston Blumenthal's programme on Channel 4. Lizzie Collingham, Historian and AuthorLizzie Collingham is an independent historian who uses food as a way of linking the minutiae of daily life to the broad sweep of historical processes. She is the author of Imperial Bodies: the physical experience of the Raj c.1800–1947, Curry: a tale of cooks and conquerors, The Taste of War: World War II and the battle for food, The Hungry Empire: how Britain’s quest for food shaped the modern world and The Biscuit: the history of a very British indulgence. She is currently a Visiting Fellow at Jesus College, Cambridge.

For decades, there has been a fiery debate around Genetic Modification.  It’s seen by many as a solution to some of the world’s biggest food problems, but by others as a reckless scientific gamble, endangering human health and the environment.  Those of us with memories of the 1990s and 2000s will remember GM trial crops in East Anglia being trashed by protesters, with farmers defending them using tractors as battering rams.Genetically modified crops are effectively banned across Europe and the same applies to gene edited crops.And it’s gene editing we’re interested in because the UK Government is trying to pass a new law which could lead to these crops being grown commercially in England.Researchers hope gene editing might help solve global food and health problems, and be more palatable to the public than GM.So, will it be a game changer?To discuss its potential, we are joined by Professor Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre, where she is leading a research project creating tomatoes which boost the body’s vitamin D.And former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Food Standards Agency, Professor Guy Poppy.Cathie Martin, group leader at the John Innes Centre and Professor at the University of East AngliaCathie researches the relationship between diet and health and how crops can be fortified to improve diets and address the global challenge of escalating chronic disease. This work has involved linking leading clinical and epidemiological researchers with plant breeders and metabolic engineers to develop scientific understanding of how diet can help to maintain health, promote healthy ageing and reduce the risk of chronic disease.Cathie has recently initiated collaborative research in China to research on Chinese Medicinal Plants, particularly those producing anti-cancer metabolites used for complementary therapies.Cathie was Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Cell (2008-2014) and is now an Associate Editor for Molecular Horticulture. She is a member of EMBO, AAAS, a Fellow of the Royal Society, in 2014 she was awarded an MBE for services to Plant Biotechnology, in 2019 she was elected Janniki Ammal Chair of the Indian Academy of Sciences for outstanding women in science and in 2022 she will receive the Rank Prize for outstanding contributions to research on nutrition.Professor Guy Poppy, former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Food Standards Agency,Professor Guy Poppy served as the FSA’s Chief Scientific Adviser from 2014 to 2020. His research on food systems and food security at the University of Southampton, is interdisciplinary and he has twice served as Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary research. He was appointed Companion of the Order of Bath (CB) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2021 and made a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2022.Professor Poppy has significant research experience in food systems and food security and has advised governments around the world on these issues. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers including a number of highly cited articles on risk assessment, risk analysis and risk communication. He was a member of the Research Excellence Framework (REF2014 and REF2021) panel assessing the quality of agriculture, food and veterinary science in the UK.A graduate of Imperial College and Oxford University, Professor Poppy previously worked at Rothamsted Research, becoming Principal Scientific Officer. He left in 2001 to join the University of Southampton. As the FSA’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Poppy provided expert scientific advice to the UK government and played a critical role in helping to understand how scientific developments will shape the work of the FSA as well as the strategic implications of any possible changes. His series of CSA reports have reached a very wide audience and have had impact on issues ranging from AMR to Big data and Whole Genome Sequencing through to the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS). He has focused on connecting science to those using it and has pushed for scientists to be intelligent providers to intelligent customers of science within the FSA and beyond.After completing his term of six years at the FSA, Professor Poppy became the Programme Director for the SPF Transforming the UK Food systems programme. This £47.5 million interdisciplinary research programme is supported by UKRI’s Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) and brings together researchers from almost 40 research organisations and over 200 private and public sector organisations including almost 20 Government Departments/Agencies.

"I literally have the best job in the world," says Hari Ghotra, Global Food and Beverage Manager at Virgin Atlantic. "I get to travel a lot, meet some amazing chefs, and eat some incredible food."It's hard to argue with that assessment. If you love food and love travel, this is up there as one of the dream jobs.Added to that, Hari is also a hugely successful cook, author and entrepreneur, founding the biggest Indian food digital platform in the UK harighotra.co.ukHer book "Indian for Everyone: 100 Easy, Healthy Dishes the Whole Family Will Love" is proving extremely popular too.Hari's job at Virgin Atlantic sees her travelling all around the world, working with caterers, and trying to find the best food to serve in the air.She manages the menus on all inbound flights to the UK and goes to painstaking lengths to make sure that what is served meets the needs of the passengers and crew.There are certain challenges to serving 300 meals at 35,000-feet, not least the way our taste pallets change at altitude.There's also limited equipment to contend with on a plane, and the pure logistics of trying to serve hundreds of meals very quickly in a small space.Hari and her team go through hours and hours of testing to get the best results. "It is personal," she says. "The chefs that I work with take it personally if something they've created doesn't come across how they want it to be or if a customer isn't happy."Listen to the full episode to find out how she launched her own business, why she believes loving what you do is the key to success, and why certain wines taste better than others when you're in the air.Hari Ghotra, Global Food and Beverage Manager, Virgin AtlanticHari Ghotra's website and social platforms feature hundreds of easy to follow recipes, videos, articles and live weekly cooking sessions that attract a global audience. Her community App is a real time location with a thriving community of food lovers who share pictures and ideas, it’s a place Hari communicates with her followers daily.She is also the global food and beverage manager for Virgin Atlantic where she manages a number of separate catering units across the world. The catering units are responsible for producing the in flight food for the airline for flights returning to the UK. The role includes managing the Virgin Atlantic food proposition for each of the cabins, the equipment the food is served on, food safety, budget as well as managing the day to day issues.Having trained as a Biologist at the University of Bath she went on to work for Unilever as a food microbiologist. Hari went on to undertake a Masters in Marketing management for food and drinks related industries at Cranfield School of Management and secured a position on the Tesco graduate training scheme. After 14 years with Tesco PLC working in a number of different disciplines, she went on to create her food business Hari Ghotra.She then trained at Michelin-starred Tamarind of Mayfair to understand the restaurant world and now contributes to many publications, creates engaging online content and works with many different brands.Raised in an environment where food played a central role in family life, Hari learned to cook amazing dishes from her mother. Hari quickly understood the difficulty people feel when preparing Indian food at home so continues her work to be the conduit between cookbooks, TV and actually cooking with you, in your home, through her digital presence. 

Personalised nutrition has been making headlines for some time, but how much impact do different types of interventions have, and which work best? Science has now advanced to a point where it can look deep inside us as individuals and calculate individual nutrition and health needs.   As a result, the personalised nutrition sector is rapidly expanding. But among the hundreds of apps and advisors out there, reliable research about the effectiveness of these tools isn’t easy to find.    The health advice may be personal, the question is: Will it work?  And will any lifestyle changes stick around long-term? This where the Preventomics Programme comes in. It has been gathering evidence on the effectiveness of different approaches to personalised nutrition, and analysing their worth. It is a huge bit of research, looking at the potential of omics sciences, especially metabolomics, and changes in habits as drivers of development. Participants were given personalised plans for nutrition and lifestyle habits to improve their health, based on the individual, such as physical and behavioural traits, lifestyle, genotype, preferences and physical condition. There were three scenarios: Personalised recommendations at the point of sale with products suggested to be added to the basket beneficial for the users. Personalised delivery food service responding to the nutritional user’s profile, preferences and physical and behavioural traits. Personalised nutritional advice by nutritionists for subjects with abdominal obesity through a software and mobile app. Listen to the full episode to find out what was learned and how it might impact the personalised nutrition sector in the future. Josep Maria del Bas, Senior researcher in the Nutrition and Health Department, Eurocat Josep Maria del Bas has degrees in Chemistry and Biochemistry and holds a PhD in Nutrition and Metabolism from Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona.  He has focused his professional career on the study of molecular mechanisms involved in the interaction between nutrition and health.  His current duties at Eurecat include coordinating multidisciplinary teams dedicated to researching the health effects of food and pharmaceutical products.

Spain is a food superpower; the fourth largest agri-food player in Europe and the tenth biggest in the world. It is perhaps less well-known as an obvious choice for agritech and innovation.But that feeling is misplaced, and it is changing, as Spain grows as a leading light in this area.In this episode of the Food Matters Live Podcast, we meet one of the organisations fuelling that growth, Eatable Adventures.Eatable Adventures discovers and supports innovative foodtech start-ups.Spain has always been famous for its fishing, aquaculture, vegetables, and much more. Eatable Adventures is helping to raise the country’s profile in areas such as alternative proteins, biotech, AI, and innovative, climate-friendly solutions.It supports start-ups, helping them grow from good ideas, to real-world solutions to the global food system’s biggest challenges.Eatable Solutions’ main focus is on start-ups that supply industry, rather than being consumer-facing.That’s partly down to funding opportunities, but it appears to be a smart move.Less money needs to be spent on creating a brand, and there have been notable successes including: Alternative protein company - Innomy Cocuus – which prints 3D meat Indoor hop farm - Ekonoke Listen to the full episode to find out how Eatable Adventures helps companies like those listed, and why those businesses were chosen.We also ask: What is driving the agtech sector in Spain?Other countries with flourishing scenes, such as Israel, Singapore, the UAE, and the US tend to have fairly obvious push factors.They are usually places with a tradition of hi-tech industries, such as Silicon Valley. Or places where geography has forced innovation, such as being surrounded by desert.Is Spain blooming in this area because of government support? Or is something else driving the growth? José Luis Cabañero, Founder and CEO, Eatable AdventuresOver 30 years experience in the development of emerging markets in the tech sector and since 2015 in the Food and Beverages segment. Held senior management positions at European level at Oracle, Cisco, Unisys and as Open Innovation Sr Director in BBVA.BS Computer Science by University de Extremadura, General Management program SEP at Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Diplôme de Cuisine by Le Cordon Bleu, Diplome Universitaire DUGGAT by University Reims Champagne-Ardennes.

"There's no industry like the food industry," says Dai Llewellyn. "No other industry encapsulates all of your senses in the same way."Dai is Head Chef of Product Development at Co-Op UK, but it didn't always looks like he would have a successful food career.In fact, he started out studying a business degree: "I fell into a world of business by sort of doing what I thought I was meant to do, or what my parents expected me to do."Everything changed for him when he got his first job in a restaurant. He says he was instantly hooked after experiencing the comradery and fun: "There was just an amazing buzz around the place."Before taking on his role at Co-Op, Dai worked in a number of high-end restaurants, and he used to work in sandwich development at Greencore.He even won some awards, including one for, what he calls "just a chicken sandwich". We think he's being modest.Listen to full episode to find out why he finds the food industry so exciting, why he believes experience is not the be-all and end-all, and what you can expect to earn if you manage to have a career as successful as Dai's. Dai Llewellyn, Executive Chef of Product Development, Co-Op UKDai has always been fascinated with food, not only the creative, immersive nature of it but its power to share heritage and stories.His food journey started within a small local restaurant in his hometown of Mumbles, Swansea learning and soaking up the hustle and buzz the hospitality industry has to offer before he made the decision to further and test himself in fine dining and made the move to London.He was lucky enough to work in some great kitchens and gain several mentors within the industry which have immensely helped shape his career so far.It is the continuous learning element of food that drove him to make the change out of restaurants and into product development. Starting with food manufactures such as Greencore and Bakkavor and brands such as Charlie Bigham’s was a amazing journey into food retail and gave him great understanding of the processes, teams and challenges faced.He has also had experience within retailers themselves having previously held positions in Waitrose and now in his current role as Executive Chef of Product Development at Co-Op.His current role help bring together food trends and culinary knowledge to support the team's of product developers to deliver not only new and exciting products but delicious, convenient, accessible food and drink.

In the last few years there’s been a growing interest in food and drink products that claim to improve gut health.Research has been booming and, on the Food Matters Live Podcast, we have spoken to some of the world’s leading experts, exploring connections between our gut, what we eat, and our physical and mental health.   In this episode we explore the many different ways the food and nutrition industry is tapping into this market. It is already a large territory to navigate, around every corner there’s a new probiotic. So which avenues are most beneficial for our individual health, and for developing a business?We take a look at some of the latest trends; fermentation, grain-based foods, and yoghurts spring to mind. But what else is out there?Which parts of the world are most interested in products that claim to promote gut health? Which demographics are fuelling the rapid rise? And how can consumers protect themselves from potentially dubious claims?Listen to the full episode for some advice on building a business in this market, how proposed new HFSS rules in the UK are already impacting the products that are available, and get a glimpse into the future of where the gut health food and drinks market might be heading. Jon Walsh, Founder and CEO, Bio & MeJon Walsh is Co-Founder and CEO of Bio&Me, the UK's fastest growing gut health start-up.He has a commercial and marketing background spanning 30 years, with successful roles working on some of the UK's best-known FMCG brands including P&G, John West, sitting on the UK Board of Nestlé and the European Board of the Thai Union Food Group as well as being a founding employee of Betfair, formerly Flutter.com.  María Mascaraque, Analyst, EuromonitorMaría is a Global Industry Manager at Euromonitor International with a focus on Food and Nutrition. Based in London, she has more than nine years of experience in the industry.María drives the content and quality of Euromonitor’s global food industry research, provides global expertise and forward-thinking insights and identifies latest product developments and key market trends.María advises clients on food and nutrition trends and has a special interest in the dairy industry, plant-based eating and health and wellness trends.She holds a PhD in Nutrition from Complutense University, Spain. Rosemary Ferguson, NutritionistRosemary comes from a homeopathic/complementary medicine background and has always been interested in what food can do for you. After a successful 15 years of modelling; from being featured in campaigns for Miu Miu and Prada, walked the runway for designers from Galliano to McQueen, and features on Vogue and The Face, her inner nutrition nerd led her back to college to study at The College of Naturopathic Medicine. She qualified as a naturopath and nutritionist in 2009 and now runs a clinic on Harley Street in London. She also writes for Vogue and Beauty Papers. Rosemary is the founder of The 5 Day Plan, and co founder of healthy junk food brand Filth. She is also the author of ‘Juice’, published in April 2015, which features 100 juice recipes to help cope with modern day life!

Imagine it’s the year 2032. The summer Olympics are just kicking off in Brisbane, the Perseverance rover has arrived back on Earth carrying Martian rocks, we’ve just finished recording the 2,000th episode of this podcast, and the UK has just become the fattest nation in Europe. OK snap back to the present and there is still something we can do about that last one. A report by the World Health Organization warns that obesity has already reached “epidemic proportions” in Europe, causing 200,000 cancer cases and 1.2 million deaths a year. The UK is currently 4th in its European rankings and in ten years is predicted to top the charts. The question is: How is this possible in a country where the Government has an obesity strategy, and where at least a dozen policies or white papers have been announced on the topic since 1997? In this episode of the Food Matters Live Podcast, we are going to look at the possible solutions and ask what the food industry can do, to help solve the crisis. We will also ask: Given this situation, why has the Government decided to delay the ban on the promotion of foods high in fat salt and sugar (HFSS)? Michele Cecchini, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Michele Cecchini leads work on Public Health at the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.  Michele’s research interests include priority setting and programme evaluation of policies influencing population health.  He is the editor and co-author of publications on the economic aspects of public health, including the OECD flagship publication on the heavy burden of obesity.  Michele holds a position of adjunct professor in applied health economics at the School of Public Health of the University of Siena and served as temporary advisor to governments and intergovernmental agencies such as the World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, the European Commission and the World Bank.  Michele is a medical doctor specialized in public health and holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a PhD from Imperial College London. Professor Paul Gately, Leeds Beckett University Paul Gately is Director of MoreLife and a Professor of Exercise and Obesity at Leeds Beckett University, he is the Co-Director of the Obesity Institute at Leeds Beckett University.   Paul was the Principle Investigator on Public Health England’s Whole Systems Approach to Obesity and he is the Co-director of the Centre for Applied Obesity Research.  His primary research interest is child and adult obesity treatment strategies but also the wider determinants of obesity.   Paul has delivered over 600 presentations and scientific publications, as well as numerous policy documents on obesity treatment, whole systems approaches to obesity and physical activity promotion. 

"When I go into a supermarket, I look at the ingredients of a product and I can tell exactly what something is going to taste like," says Angela Trofymova. "It's boring shopping with me."Angela has one of those jobs that sounds too good to be true. She is Group Testing Manager for the Good Housekeeping Institute.That means she is in charge of the institute's world-famous taste tests, which are so renowned they have a huge impact on sales and trends.In this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, we find out exactly what's involved in running taste testing sessions, and what a typical day looks like for someone in a role like Angela's.Her route to the job has not been simple. She's held many roles within the food industry, and outside of it.At one point she worked for a company where things really didn't click. "That completely depleted my energy," she says."It made me feel inadequate and I felt like I didn't know what I was doing."But the truth is, things just hadn't worked out in this particular role and Angela dusted herself down, found a new job and has flourished ever since.Angela's story shows that even the most successful people working in the food industry will have ups and downs in their careers."Where there's a will, there's a way," she says.Listen to the full episode to find out how to work towards securing a job like Angela's, what qualifications you might need, what you can expect to earn, and how a meeting with Heston Blumenthal set her up for where she is today. Sign up to join a testing panelYou can sign up to be part of a taste-testing panel at the Good Housekeeping Institute.All you need to do is fill out a short questionnaire and you could be tasting next season's latest trends before they're available on the supermarket shelves. Follow this link to sign up. Angela Trofymova, Group Testing Manager, the Good Housekeeping InstituteAngela has over 13 years’ food industry experience, helping companies such as Pret, Sainsbury’s, Nando’s and Leon achieve sustainable growth through innovative product development – she’s even cooked for Heston Blumenthal! Her sensory evaluation training and finely honed taste buds mean she knows exactly what’s worth spending your money on, and leads the Hearst Institute food and drink testing team who test over 1500 products each year. Angela is WSET Wine and Spirits Level 2 certified and has been a judge five years in a row for the British Sandwich Awards and the Pizza and Pasta Awards.