Food Matters Live Podcast

The UK Government is planning to introduce a raft of restrictions on the promotion of foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) - but will they actually make any difference?The idea behind the proposals is to improve public health.  But will we actually develop new, healthy shopping habits once the regulations come in?In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we look at the evidence to see how shopping and eating habits might change.What does the research show? How will impulse purchasing be affected? In short, what happens when our favourite foods are no longer quite so visible?The Government recently announced that it was delaying some of the restrictions.That has caused lots of controversy and no doubt we will revisit the topic in the weeks ahead.But here's how things stand as of June 2022: A ban on buy-one-get-one free deals on food and drink that is high in fat, salt and sugar, as well as free refills for soft drinks, has been postponed by 12 months and won’t be introduced before October 2023.Plans to restrict TV advertising of HFSS products before the nine o’clock watershed have also been delayed by a year, until January 2024.But restrictions on where HFSS products can be placed in shops will still go ahead in October 2022. Malcolm Clark, Senior Prevent Policy Manager, Cancer Research UKMalcolm oversees Cancer Research UK’s policy work on tobacco, obesity and other cancer prevention risk factors. He has been at the forefront of obesity policy and advocacy for the past decade – first with Children’s Food Campaign (part of Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming) and since 2018 at Cancer Research UK.  He sat on Public Health England’s review of the Nutrient Profile Model, and was part of the team which implemented the HFSS ad ban across Transport for London sites.  Malcolm sits on the steering groups of the Obesity Health Alliance and the Alcohol Health Alliance.   Hannah Skeggs, Health and Sustainable Diets Manager, IGDHannah is a nutritionist (ANutr), passionate about aligning commercial interest with health and sustainability. Working in industry for Danone and Unilever, she successfully led reformulation projects to reduce sugar, fat, energy and salt whilst maintaining taste and ensuring product growth. Now as Health and Sustainable Diets Manager at IGD, she works collaboratively with industry to understand how store environments and product formulation can help consumers to eat healthier and more sustainably in the future.

Practice, practice, practice. It's good advice whatever food career you're hoping to embark on, and according to Dominique Woolf it is particularly good advice if you want to get into writing cookery books.In this edition of the Career Conversations podcast series, Dominique tells Elisa Roche there simply is no substitute for getting as much experience as possible.She recently won the TV show "The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver" and is releasing her first cookbook "Dominique's Kitchen" this month.But, she says, success didn't come overnight. In fact she says she spent years going to events to learn about cookbooks, meeting her favourite writers and reading as much as she could."It was something that had been bubbling away for years and years and years," says Dominique. "Winning the show was the ultimate validation."Her advice to anyone hoping to one day become a cookery book writer is to get work experience, read as much as you can, and keep practising: "Writing is essential."Dominique started life as a singer-songwriter, but gave up that dream to start and family.Then she re-discovered her other passion; food. She went to Leith's Cookery School in London, where she says she learned all the basics, emersed herself in the industry, and gained lots of new skills.As well as all her success as a writer, she also runs a successful business called The Woolf's Kitchen. Dominique Woolf, cookbook writer and entrepreneurDominique Woolf is a half-Thai mum of three, entrepreneur and keen home cook. Having been a singer-songwriter and recruitment consultant in a previous life, Dominique decided to change careers and focus on her first love - food - after realizing just how much she enjoyed getting creative in the kitchen. She trained at Leith’s School of Food and Wine to immerse herself in the industry and hone her skills, then became a food writer, before starting her own business, The Woolf 's Kitchen, in the middle of lockdown 2020. Initially selling a range of sauces inspired by those her Thai auntie used to make, she has now expanded into chilli oils, pastes and nuts, too. She won a cookbook deal after appearing on The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver and her first book Dominique’s Kitchen publishes on 9th June.

What can be done to solve the growing problem of labour shortages in the UK food sector?The Government's Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee says chronic shortages could lead to further price rises and the UK becoming more dependent on food imports.In fact, it says if nothing is done to address the issue, labour shortages will shrink the sector permanently.It is a stark warning and we are already seeing the effects.In recent months we have seen crops left to rot in the fields, tens-of-thousands of pigs incinerated or rendered due to a lack of workers at meat processing plants, and disruption to the food supply chain.In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we delve into the causes of the crisis, as well as looking at what some of the solutions may be.How big a role are Brexit and Covid playing? Will higher salaries help to alleviate the problems? Is the Government doing enough to help the industry?And what does the current situation mean for workers? There are more job opportunities available and more bargaining power when it comes to negotiating pay, but other questions remain.If more people within the industry are moving on to better-paid jobs, who is filling the roles they leave behind? What is to be done about staff wellbeing as they work more hours to cover gaps in the rota? One trade body quoted is quoted in the committee's report as saying: "I have never known morale in the industry so low."Listen to the full episode for some views on what can be done to relieve some of the pressure in the short, medium, and long term.Meet the guests David Camp, Chief Executive, the Association of Labour ProvidersThe Association of Labour Providers is a not-for-profit trade association promoting responsible recruitment and good practice for organisations that supply the workforce to the consumer goods supply chain across the food processing, horticultural and wider manufacturing, industrial, warehousing and distribution sectors.  The ALP’s 375 labour provider members supply approximately 70% of the temporary contingent workforce into the food growing and manufacturing supply chain. Jonathan Kittow, Director, Simply Supply ChainJonathan is a consumer-focused management consultant and collaborator with over 25 years’ experience in Consumer Goods and Retail sectors – Director of Simply Supply Chain and Chairman of the FMCG focused supply chain networking groups: Customer Supply Group and Drop and Drive Supply Group.Jonathan’s expertise lies in managing the relationships between sales, marketing and supply chain within blue chip manufacturing and retail clients to improve on-shelf availability and eliminate waste to reduce the end-to-end cost. 

There's no doubt that plant-based dairy alternatives are booming. In 2021, a Bloomberg Intelligence report estimated that the global market for dairy-alternative milk could grow to more than $60bn by 2030. But this isn’t just about milk, there is dairy-free cheese, ice cream, just about everything, and the market is constantly evolving. Where plant-based dairy was once the preserve of people who identified as vegan, we've long-since moved on to flexitarians. Now sustainability is one of the key factors affecting the products people buy, meaning ever more innovative ways of making alternative dairy products. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership with Edlong, we look at where the market is heading, the challenges of making new products that taste and feel like dairy, and the crucial role consumer messaging has to play in the sector's future. With new innovations in cultured, fermented and hybrid products helping meet the demand for sustainable alternatives, how do you develop new products? How do you ensure the flavour and texture are just right? And how do you market these products on a mass scale? Listen to the full episode to learn about some of the challenges Edlong helps its customers overcome, why price-point is becoming increasingly important for the alternative dairy sector, and how supply chain issues are being successfully navigated. Edlong Flavors Edlong was founded over 100 years ago. Now it is a global leader in dairy and dairy-free flavours, committed to helping food and beverage manufacturers innovate faster, for authentic-tasting, consumer-pleasing products. With an industry-leading library of hundreds of plant-based dairy-free flavours applied in thousands of combinations, coupled with over four decades of dairy-free and plant-based formulation success, Edlong brings an unmatched depth of experience and expertise to deliver authentic dairy taste and texture to dairy-free applications. Jessa Friedrich, Digital Marketing Manager Jessa Friedrich is the Digital Marketing Manager at Edlong, with over 10 years of experience in developing and implementing integrated strategic marketing plans in the dynamic world of digital marketing. Jessa has a degree in Marketing and Business Administration and an MBA in Marketing from Lewis University. Julie Drainville, Sensory Manager  Julie Drainville leads all sensory functions for Edlong globally, maintaining a trained employee panel for sensory testing, and also collaborating with applications scientists and customers to run testing to meet project needs.  Julie has an extensive background in food science including over 14 years in the sensory field, a degree from Purdue University in Foods, Nutrition and Business/Dietetics, a Master of Science in Nutrition Education from Rosalind Franklin University, and completion of the UC Davis Applied Sensory and Consumer Science Certificate Program. Ashley Sabo, R&D Senior Food Scientist  Ashley Sabo is an R&D Senior Food Scientist at Edlong, working in the applications lab on customer projects ranging from plant-based products to categories from bakery to snacks.  Ashley has a degree in Agriculture Economics from the University of Kentucky, a degree in Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry from the College of DuPage and is currently working toward a Master’s in Food Science from Washington State University.  While attending the College of DuPage, Ashely was part of the culinary team that won the American Culinary Federation IL State Competition for two consecutive years.  She is also a member of the RCA. 

Liz Littlewood says she struggled at first to convince her parents and her teachers that a career in food was a good choice: "I had to fight quite hard to continue doing it at school and then university."But she did persevere and now, as Co-op's Lead Technical Manager for Ambient Foods, Non-Food, Beers, Wines and Spirits, she says she's so pleased she stuck with it."I'm really glad I got a job that I really enjoy and I've had a varied career," she tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series.Liz's journey so far has seen her get a degree in Food Technology at Manchester Met University, work for M&S, Morrisons, and now the Co-op.Her current role comes with a fair bit of power, she and her team have the ability to stop a product going into stores at pretty much any stage of the development process.It also requires a bit of knowledge about a lot of things, from the manufacturing process, to packaging, transport and distribution, and legal and legislative requirements."You end up maybe not being an expert on everything, but having a wide range of knowledge across lots of things," she says. "And you certainly know the right person to ask!"Listen to the full episode to find out exactly what a Lead Technical Manager does, the parts Liz enjoys most about her job, and the product she has worked on that has apparently caught the eye of Kate Moss. Liz Littlewood, Lead Technical Manager for Ambient Foods, Non-Food, Beers, Wines and Spirits, Co-opLiz joined the Co-op in 2016 as Head of NPD across Fresh and Chilled. In 2019, Liz moved back to Technical, to become Lead Technical Manager of the Dairy & Protein team. In October 2021, Liz moved to lead the Ambient Foods, BWS & Non-Food Technical team.Prior to Co-op, Liz held various NPD positions within Morrisons and Northern Foods covering a vast range of categories during this time.  Liz began her career with Marks & Spencer in Food Technical having undertaken an undergraduate placement within the business.  Liz enjoys all things food and has a passion for collaborative working and solving challenges.Get to know Liz - 5 quick questions What’s your career highlight so far?"For me it's all about people. When I see somebody developing in their role, or when somebody who's come as a undergraduate placement, and comes back to the business as a graduate, that makes me really proud." What would you like to see the industry at large doing more of?"Informing customers more about what we do within the food industry. We work really, really hard and often we get a bad press. I also think the industry should promote careers more. There are lots of reasons why it's a great career." What’s the most useful mistake you’ve made in your career?"A long time ago I was on a train to London to go and have an interview for an undergraduate placement with M&S. I'd mis-read a letter and thought that the other interview I should have been at was the day after, and it wasn't. So by default I'd chosen one of the interviews over another. I got the M&S job, but it could have gone a very different way, as my lecturer reminded me the next day." What do you wish you could tell your younger self?"Worry less about your career. It will evolve, it will take twists and turns but that's ok. It's ok not to know everything right at the beginning because it will happen." What’s your favourite meal?"I'm going to slightly cheat. I'm going to say it's a type of meze or platter because I can't pick one thing. When I think about the experiences I've had where I've really enjoyed the food, it's where there's been lots of different variety. Give me a table full of lots of different things and let me go and pick amongst it and I'm really, really happy."

2022 marks 70 years since Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne, making Her Majesty the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. Royal celebrations have often been associated with food, banquets and street parties, with this year following the script. In May 2022, Jemma Melvin created a lemon and Swiss roll amaretti trifle which beat around 5,000 other entries to be named the official pudding for the Jubilee. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we're looking at the traditions and recipes of British Royal celebrations of the past. We ask why some dishes capture the public's imagination, while others don't. We look at the parallels between the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and those that took place at the Queen's coronation in 1953. Today, like then, the celebrations are taking place at a time of hardship for many.  Food prices are rising today as the cost of living crisis deepens. In 1953, we were still a year away from the end of rationing after the Second World War. And in today’s society, where you’re more likely to get your cooking inspiration from Heston Blumenthal than Her Majesty, we ask: Just how central is food to a modern day Royal celebration? Listen to the full episode to learn the true story of Coronation Chicken, why the Victoria Sponge is so reflective of the time it was created, and find out what treats our guests would rustle up if they were tasked with designing a new Royal dish. Meet the guests Mary Gwynn, Food writer Mary Gwynn was the founding editor of BBC Vegetarian Good Food and subsequently editor of M&S magazine.  She has worked as a consultant editor and trainer for Waitrose for 12 years, and has written three vegetarian cookbooks.  She has appeared on the sofa with Richard and Judy, cooked at the NEC with chefs such as Rick Stein, Brian Turner and Gary Rhodes, and is the perfect face for the working mum's model. Dr Sue Bailey, Food Historian and Author Writing and researching about food has always been Sue's passion. She is the monthly food columnist for The Lady magazine, and writes culinary history and local food features for Cambridge Edition magazine. She is an experienced panel member, presenter and chair for lectures, workshops and webinars.  In the past, she has led national and European research programmes in workplace learning, consumer health education and food skills.  Sue's hidden secret is that she has a quirky alter ego. She appears as the first famous female celebrity chef Fabulous Fanny Cradock. She recreates signature dishes from her 1950s, 1960s and 1970s books and TV shows at food fairs and history festivals.

“Monbiot has that most aggravating of gifts, the ability lucidly to point out things that people desperately do not want to be true."That's a quote from Henry Dimbleby, the man who proposed the UK's new national food strategy. He is, of course, talking about journalist, author and activist George Monbiot.In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, George joins Stefan Gates to discuss the future of food production both in the UK and around the world."We are looking at the possibility of systemic environmental collapse," George says. "We tell ourselves we put our survival above everything else. I see no evidence of that at all."He raises many concerns about the current food system in his new book “Regenesis: feeding the world without devouring the planet”.But the most pressing concerns centre around soil and the use of land for agriculture.He says the book came about through his newfound "obsession with soil", something he describes as being "the most complex ecosystem on Earth.Soil, he says, is home to as diverse and abundant an ecosystem as a coral reef or rainforest. But it is being destroyed.He says farming is "by far the greatest cause of the destruction" of ecosystems, habitats, climate breakdown, pollution of rivers and seas, loss of wildlife and extinction: "We are eating the planet."So, what is the solution? George Monbiot believes a number of things need to change, and he believes they can change.Listen to the full episode to hear his views on why agricultural subsidies are getting in the way of progress, why he thinks we should move the production of protein and fat away from the farm and into the factory, and how bacteria could help to solve many of the issues he raises. George Monbiot, journalist, author, activistGeorge Monbiot is an author, Guardian columnist and environmental activist. His best-selling books include Feral: Rewilding the land, sea and human life, Heat: how to stop the planet burning, and Out of the Wreckage: a new politics for an age of crisis. George cowrote the concept album Breaking the Spell of Loneliness with musician Ewan McLennan, and has made a number of viral videos. One of them, adapted from his 2013 TED Talk, How Wolves Change Rivers, has been viewed on YouTube over 40m times. Another, on Natural Climate Solutions, that he co-presented with Greta Thunberg, has been watched over 60m times.  George’s latest book, Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet, is out now.

The images of suffering in Ukraine as Russia's invasion continues are some of the most horrifying seen in Europe for decades. The war has already led to the deaths of thousands, caused to the destruction of homes, and completely destroyed many people's way of life. Among the terrible scenes in Ukraine, we see a country which is a linchpin of the global food system, undergoing catastrophic change. The ripples will be felt across the world. The World Bank has warned it will cause the "largest commodity shock" since the 1970s and, of course, the impact will be felt acutely in Ukraine for decades to come. The global response has been to impose punishing sanctions on Russia, that too will have consequences for the food sector. So how is the global food system adjusting? And just what will be the effect on global food insecurity? In this edition of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by Professor Tony Heron and PhD researcher Paulina Flores Martinez, from the University of York, to discuss the impacts of the war on the food system, how the rest of the world might respond, and the repercussions of that response. Around a quarter of all adults in Ukraine are employed in the agricultural sector and the country is often referred to as the breadbasket of Europe. But the destruction caused by the war, as well as the redeployment of resources and land for the war effort, mean supplies of wheat, sunflower and barley are badly affected. Countries which rely heavily on these commodities from Ukraine are already facing shortages and globally prices are rising fast. Within Ukraine, people who rely on the land to make a living are suffering not only from the devastation of the war, but also from a lack of income. The West has levied punishing sanctions on Russia, which has responded by banning the trade of some commodities. That too is pushing prices up. So how will nations react to shortages and price rises in a globalised system? How will people react to the rising cost of living? And what will the global food system look like in years to come? Tony Heron, Professor of International Political Economy, the University of York Tony Heron is currently serving as a Parliamentary Academic Fellow to the House of Commons International Trade Committee.  He is the author of three books and numerous articles and book chapters with many of the world’s leading academic journals and publishers.  Tony’s current work is centred on interdisciplinary global food systems research, sustainability governance in global value chains, the political economy of the UK’s independent trade policy and the politics of agricultural reform in the context of Brexit.  Tony is co-editor of the journal New Political Economy. Paulina Flores Martinez, PhD student, University of York Prior to re-joining academia, Paulina worked as policy analyst and consultant in the agricultural and environmental ministries in Mexico.  Her PhD project explores the environmental governance of key agri-food commodities in Latin America.  Paulina’s research interests around food systems include the politics of private and non-state governance of broader environmental issues, and the intersection between international food trade and environment global change.

Stu Henshall has cooking in his bones, but it didn't always look as though he would end up being Executive Chef at two of the world's biggest meat-free brands.His early years were spent helping out his mum and dad, who owned a farm and a restaurant.He tells Elisa Roche in this episode of the Career Conversations podcast series, that he learned a lot in those early days, as much about front-of-house and pot washing as anything else.Alongside his love of food, he also had a passion for music and launched a successful career, working with The Prodigy, touring Europe, and gaining a gold disc for making a number one album.But he says he started to find that whilst on tour, he was more excited about the restaurants they were visiting than the gigs they were playing: "I realised something wasn't quite right."Then came a new moment in the limelight, and the start of the journey which has led to him becoming Executive Chef at Quorn and Cauldron - he appeared on the Great British Bake Off in 2015."It's not a natural way to start a culinary career," he says. "There are a lot more eyes on what you're doing as opposed to starting as a 'pot wash' and working your way up from there."His appearance on GBBO, and his plant-based bakes, raised a few eyebrows at the time. But now he has proved the doubters wrong.Listen to the full episode to find out how Stu made the transition from TV show contestant to respected executive chef, what his job involves on a day-to-day basis, and how he sees his job as making a positive difference to the world. Stu Henshall, Executive Chef, Quorn and CauldronStu worked for 15 years as an international gold disc-awarded touring musician, producer and songwriter for acts such as The Prodigy.  That all changed when he beat tens of thousands of applicants to feature on the UK’s most watched program of 2015, The Great British Bake Off.  While Stu’s plant-forward approach may not have floated Mary Berry’s boat, Stu set off on a career devoted to pushing the power of plants and studying how delicious we can make food that is good for the people and the planet.  His food consultancy was responsible for writing and food styling for a variety of publications, providing catering solutions from festival to silver service, teaching at culinary schools up and down the country, training corporate catering teams, filming his own series and consulting on numerous successful restaurant start-ups.Stu is now the Executive Chef for the Culinary Team for Quorn, the number one meat-free company in the world. Whether it’s developing new products to enriching food culture within and externally to the business, Stu’s varied culinary background serves as an example that passion and determination are key to success in the food and beverage industry.

The history of English wine has been a bumpy one, and it starts much further back than many people would believe.There is evidence that the Romans grew grapes for wine in English soil some 2,000 years ago.For many hundreds of years after that there have been numerous attempts to make English wine the preferred choice amongst drinkers, with varying degrees of success.In fact, its fair to say that until relatively recently, English wine had a bad reputation both at home and elsewhere in the world.But today, the white and sparkling wines produced in England are often rated among the best.So how did we get here? In this episode of the Table Talk podcast, Stefan Gates is joined by wine writer, Liz Sagues, to find out exactly that.It's easy to dismiss early attempts at making English wine as being blighted by cold weather and too much rain, but there's more to it than that.Easy access to European wines, a lack of expertise, and a love of beer have also played their part.But if it was so difficult to get wine-growing to take off in this country, why did so many people persevere?Liz introduces us to some of the trailblazers. She talks about the Honourable Charles Hamilton, who planted a vineyard at Painshill Park in Surry, and accidentally made early English sparkling wine. The Carr Taylor vineyard, near Hastings, which made the first commercial quantities of wine in 1986.Sandy and Stewart Moss who made sparkling wine at Nyetimber in Sussex and won a blind tasting in Paris in 1992.The owners of Ridgeview are cited as having played an important role in the story of English wine by sharing expertise with other growers.As well as looking to the past, Liz looks at the present and the future.The expertise is now there, thanks to agricultural colleges such as Plumpton, and excellent wines are being made by the Bolney Estate, and Camel Valley in Cornwall, to name a couple.Listen to the full episode to find out what Liz believes makes an English wine special, how climate change could mean we'll see more bottles of it in future, and why the rest of the UK could have a booming wine industry in the years to come. Liz Sagues, Wine Writer and AuthorAuthor of two books on English wine, wine columnist for the Ham&High Series of weekly newspapers circulating in north and north west London. Member (and committee member), Circle of Wine Writers.Liz came to wine writing via general journalism, where before going freelance she was assistant editor of the Ham & High, a respected London weekly newspaper with many readers who are well-informed wine consumers. She continues to write a monthly wine page for the Ham & High and its sister papers, and she has twice won one of the 'Oscars' of wine writing, the Louis Roederer Regional Wine Writer of the Year award (2005 and 2011).Her first wine book, A Celebration of English Wine (Robert Hale, 2018), ended a 10-year gap in publication of books for consumers on English wine -– a decade in which so much had changed! It covers the development of wine in England through 2,000 years, with much emphasis on how and why the present product is so good, how to enjoy it and what the future might hold. She wanted to continue telling this fascinating story, hence a second book, Sussex by the Glass (Tanwood Press, 2021), the first regional book on English wine. It takes an innovative approach in weaving past and present through the stories of two pioneering family estates, Bolney and Ridgeview, now headed by the daughters of their founders.Wine subjects apart, she has also had feature articles published in The Independent, Sunday Times and Country Life and in 2013 her first book Chichester Harbour: England’s Coastal Gem was published by Robert Hale.Her wine columns can be seen at www.hamhigh.co.uk as well as in the printed editions of the Ham & High Series. She also hosts wine events and run tastings for consumers.