Food Matters Live Podcast

The global ice cream market is expected to hit $75bn by 2024 and to maintain growth brands are constantly having to innovate new recipes and flavours, while responding to changing consumer demands prompted by challenges including Covid-19 and climate change. Is changing consumer demand leading to a surge in plant-based, healthier and more sustainable ice cream?To find out we’re joined by the true experts in the field, Tetra Pak and Mintel. Tetra Pak equipment and lines are responsible for the production of as much as 50% of the world’s ice cream, and Mintel are the world’s leading market intelligence agency tracking consumer opinions and trends to develop an understanding of what consumers want and why. About our guestsTorben Vilsgaard, Ice Cream Academy Manager, Tetra PakTorben Vilsgaard is Ice Cream Academy Manager at Tetra Pak, the leading producer of ice cream equipment. In this role, Torben focuses on performance and quality. His work entails starting up the Academy, where he plans and executes training within the Ice Cream business unit and channels to market, thus driving, creating and maintaining knowledge build-up.Regina Haydon, Global Food and Drink Analyst, MintelRegina Haydon is Global Food and Drink Analyst at research company Mintel. In this role, she provides best-in-class client service through deliverables that meet and/or help develop her clients’ business objectives across a broad range of FMCG categories in Europe and globally.

In this day and age we’ve got apps for everything - travel, making new connections, and of course to help us improve our mental and physical health and well-being. With research showing how important gut health is to mental and physical health, will digital apps to improve your gut health be the next in your download queue?Our guest on this podcast, our second in a series focused on mHealth, certainly thinks so. We’re joined by André Sommer, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Cara Care. Andre will explain why personalised gut health insight is so important, how it can help improve our health, and what the future could look like in the mHealth space. Join the conversation on Table Talk.About our guestAndré Sommer, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Cara CareCara Care is a Berlin-based HealthTech startup, founded in 2016 by Andre Sommer, Dankrad Feist, Jesaja Brinkmann and Orest Tarasiuk. The business is run by a team of nutritionists, psychologists and other medical experts helping to create a truly holistic, specialist approach to gut health.Individuals are assessed thoroughly for their condition, their symptoms and their goals, all of which helps Cara Care to tailor a personalised plan that works for the user.Cara Care also provide a holistic approach to gut health, not only focusing on nutrition but also offering audio-guided hypnosis, elimination and reintroduction diet plans, food lists and recipes, emotional and behavioural exercises and more.So far, Cara Care have raised a total funding amount of $9 million over the course of 5 funding rounds. Their latest round, a Series A, was announced in June 2019, and raised $7 million.

The UK Government National Food Strategy, led by Henry Dimbleby the founder of restaurant chain Leon, has submitted a set of recommendations to help the nation become healthier, reduce obesity and become more sustainable. Will the strategy form the foundation of a healthier future? Or do we need to look deeper at key issues that face our dysfunctional food system?The Table Talk Podcast has spoken to the leading voices in the country to find out how we can fix our broken food system, and build a secure future. In this episode we look back to conversations with Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London’s Centre for Food Policy, Jo Churchill MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care, Chris Venables, Head of Politics, Green Alliance and Dr Michael Clark, Researcher, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford to discuss the scale of the problems the UK faces, what the government proposes to do to fix them, and whether meat and dairy consumption needs to be dramatically reduced in order to meet climate targets. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our guestsTim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London’s Centre for Food PolicyTim Lang has been Professor of Food Policy at City University London’s Centre for Food Policy since 2002. He founded the Centre in 1994. After a PhD in social psychology at Leeds University, he became a hill farmer in the 1970s in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire which shifted his attention to food policy, where it has been ever since. For years, he’s engaged in academic and public research and debate about its direction, locally to globally. His abiding interest is how policy addresses the mixed challenge of being food for the environment, health, social justice, and citizens. What is a good food system? How is ours measured and measuring up? His current research interests are (a) sustainable diets, (b) the meaning of modern food security and (c) the implications of Brexit for the food system.Jo Churchill MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary CareJo Churchill was brought up in East Anglia and, before moving to Suffolk two years ago, lived and worked in the rural county of Lincolnshire, with her husband and four daughters. Her early career started in retail for both regional and global brands and led her into site development and the building industry. Since 1994, she has run two successful contracting companies. In July 2016, she was elected, with joint highest nominations to join the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).  In July 2016, she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Rt Hon Mike Penning MP, Minister of State for Armed Forces.  In 2017, she was appointed PPS to Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Health.  In 2018, she was appointed to Assistant Government Whip in HM Government.  In 2019, she was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care in HM Government. Chris Venables, Head of Politics, Green AllianceChris 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 manages the Climate leadership programme for MPs and joint UK-focused advocacy work with business and civil society.He previously worked in the Houses of Parliament as the campaigns and political lead for Green Party MP Caroline Lucas on environmental issues. Before that, he led the work for the global health charity Medact on social and economic justice and worked in Brussels for a foreign policy think tank. He has been involved in grassroots organising and campaigning for over a decade. He has a BA in politics from the University of York.Dr Michael Clark, Researcher, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of OxfordMike's research interests include the environmental, economic, and health impacts of food systems. He uses models to provide quantitative estimates on the current and projected impacts of the food system, as well as the potential benefits of changing the food system (e.g. by changing diets, or the rate at which yields increases).Mike joined the Centre on Population Approaches for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention in August 2018, and is working on expanding the Centre's food system model to incorporate biodiversity and economic outcomes in collaboration with the Wellcome funded projected "Livestock, Environment and People", as well as with researchers from other departments across Oxford and international collaborators.Mike holds a PhD in Natural Resources Science and Management from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and studied biology and ecology at undergraduate level.

This week we once again explore the UK Environment Bill, and how it will impact food brands and manufacturers. Following last weeks look at deforestation, we now turn our attention towards packaging. With the bill placing more responsibility on producers to make changes to their packaging in order for them to be easily recyclable, we look at how food brands will need to adapt to help the environment.Joining us are two experts in packaging and sustainability Martin Hyde, Policy Leader, Comply Direct and Julian Hunt, Vice President Public Affairs & Communications, Coca Cola European Partners. They explain what the new legislation means for the environment and how food brands will need to adapt. Join the conversation on Table Talk.About our panelMartin Hyde, Policy Leader, Comply DirectMartin is the dedicated Policy Leader at Comply Direct Ltd, responsible for engaging members in environmental legislation and regulation change, informing both internal and external stakeholders on key policy developments within the waste and resources industry and advising on significant impacts, ensuring that Comply Direct is able to pursuethe best interests of its 1600+ customers. With a background in data management, packaging consultancy and working with producers to meet their environmental compliance, Martin has a wealth of invaluable environmental policy knowledge and champions industry and customer engagement. His policy role is focussed on highlighting the impacts of upcoming legislation and leading the development of consultationresponses on behalf of the business and its customers. In addition, Martin has a personal passion for the Circular Economy which complements his expertise on Producer Responsibility and government measures such as the UK Plastic Tax, ensuring the meaningful, closed-loop advice and solutions which Martin regularly provides to affected organisations.Julian Hunt, Vice President Public Affairs & Communications, CCEPJulian Hunt joined Coca-Cola European Partners in 2011 as Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability for GB. In this role he is responsible for all aspects of CCEP’s internal and external communications, as well as its sustainability and Government affairs programmes. He has recently taken on additional responsibility for Sweden, Norway and Iceland. Prior to joining CCEP, Julian was Director of Communications at the Food and Drink Federation where he helped to steer the industry through many challenging debates, not least on public health. Before that, Julian was Editor of The Grocer magazine. In June 2013 he joined the Board of OPRL Ltd, the organisation which runs the packaging recycling information scheme in Great Britain. He is proud also to have supported the work of other organisations including the School Food Trust, FareShare and GroceryAid.

The UK Environment Bill aims to ensure that UK-based companies are transparent about their supply chains and their impact on deforestation and proposes fines for those who don’t adhere. What will this new legislation mean for food and drink brands, why is it important, and does it go far enough? Joining Table Talk this week to share their views are Sam Lawson, Founding Director, Earthsight, Alice Lucas, Advocacy and Policy Manager, Fairtrade Foundation and Robert Sheasby, Chief Executive, The Agricultural Industries Confederation. About our panel Sam Lawson, Founding Director, EarthsightEarthsight is a non-profit organisation committed to harnessing the power of primary investigative research and reporting to bring attention to pressing issues of human rights and environmental justice. We aim to get to the core of an issue, using a range of investigative research methods to obtain first-hand, documented evidence of crimes against both people and the planet which is irrefutable and impossible to ignore. By following the money and tracing supply chains, our research also aims to expose the complicity of consumers and financiers in abetting these abuses. Alice Lucas, Advocacy and Policy Manager, Fairtrade FoundationAlice Lucas is Advocacy and Policy Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, leading on the organisation’s policy response to Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Legislation, and it’s work on trade policy. Alice has been following the progress of the Environment Bill through Parliament and continues to engage with Members of Parliament and Government departments on the deforestation proposals.Alice holds an MSc in International Public Policy. Prior to joining Fairtrade, Alice worked on European Immigration and Asylum policy and advocacy. She has previously worked in the Communications and Education sector, and is currently acting as an advocacy strategy consultant to smaller NGO’s. Alice is Board member for the Trade Justice Movement. Robert Sheasby, Chief Executive, The Agricultural Industries ConfederationRobert Sheasby was appointed the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) Chief Executive in May 2018. In this role Robert has overall responsibility for all aspects of the AIC, across its political lobbying, member representation and the six trade assurance schemes it runs on behalf of the agricultural supply sector. Robert joined the AIC after 17 years at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) where he had held various roles, most recently as NFU Regional Director for East Anglia. Prior to this Robert had been Regional Director in the North West and NFU Surveyor for England & Wales. Robert studied at Seale Hayne Agricultural College and holds a degree in Rural Estate Management as well as being a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Prior to joining the NFU in 2001 Robert worked in the South West and the Thames Valley for firms of chartered surveyors as land agent and auctioneer. Robert is also a member of the Agricultural Law Association (ALA). Robert is experienced in agricultural political lobbying both at a national and European level. He has been involved in the development of national policy with Government, shaped European policy, as well as worked with national infrastructure companies to develop framework agreements for national use.

With traditional farming using 77% of agricultural land, but only providing 18% of the world's calories, it's clear our food system is fairly dysfunctional. 69% of the EU's protein-rich feed, such as soya, is imported, contributing to a growing climate crisis. With 1kg of insect protein using 99.4% less land than soy, the main ingredient in animal feed, will the insect farming offer a sustainable solution for the future?To find out, we speak to Keiran Whitaker, Founder and Director, Entocycle. Entocycle is a British insect farming startup that directly addresses all of these scary inefficiencies in our current food system. The company takes a ‘circular economy’ approach to production, it takes in pre-consumer food waste such as spent coffee grounds and beer grains and utilises insect’s natural bio-conversion process to convert this waste into natural, protein-rich insects to feed animals. Join us for a fascinating look into the potential for insect farming in the UK, and the positive impact it can have on our economy and environment.About our guestKeiran Whitaker, Founder and Director, EntocycleKeiran Whitaker received a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Oxford Brookes University and a master’s degree in science from the University of Manchester.As an environmental engineer, Whitaker saw the potential benefits to crops and livestock that come from harvesting insect protein. He launched Entocycle in 2014 to farm insects as a sustainable alternative to soy and fishmeal.Whitaker has successfully taken Entocycle through the Mass Challenge UK Business Accelerator, the Silicon Valley Y Combinator (Silicon Valley) and the prestigious Pearse Lyons Accelerator. He has raised funding for two facilities in London and the company’s soon-to-be first commercial facility in the U.K.

Professor Robert Thomas is leading the Phyto-V study to understand the impact of gut health on COVID-19. The purpose of the study is to determine if nutritional interventions could help shorten the severity or duration of illness for those infected with the virus. In this latest Table Talk we sit down to talk to Professor Thomas to find out all about this new study. Whilst it is widely known about the gut health brain axis, the gut health lung pathway is less known. The study explores whether phytochemicals and probiotics have a role to play in aiding faster recovery from Covid. We'll explore the results to date and what this means for our diet, what food we should be eating, and how we it affects severity and duration of COVID-related illness. It's a fascinating look further into the world of gut health, join the conversation on Table Talk. About Professor Robert Thomas Professor Robert Thomas is a full time NHS Consultant Oncologist at Bedford and Addenbrooke's Hospitals, a teacher at Cambridge University and a visiting Professor of Sports and Nutritional science at the University of Bedfordshire. He manages patients with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormones and biological targeted treatments but incorporates nutritional and lifestyle strategies to enhance their effect, reduce side effects and improve outcomes. He is also head of a Lifestyle and Cancer Research Unit which designs and conducts government approved scientific studies evaluating the impact of exercise, diet and natural therapies on cancer and other chronic diseases. The scientific papers resulting from this research, conducted in collaboration with Universities in Southern California, Cambridge and Glasgow, can be reviewed online. He currently leads the UK's covid-19 nutritional intervention study (The Phyto-V study) assessing whether prebiotic polyphenol rich foods plus the yourgut+ probiotic could lower the severity and duration of symptoms. He is author of the UK bestseller "How to Live and has been awarded The Hospital Doctor journal "Doctor of the Year" the British Oncology Association “Oncologist of the Year” and The Royal College of Radiologist Research Medal and the NHS communication prize. Photo (C) Richard Cannon

Could mobile health apps, known as mHealth, be the answer to managing food allergies for those who live with them? Millions of patients suffering from allergic diseases may benefit from mHealth innovations. The European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology created a task force to assess the development and future potential of ICT in the field of allergy. Food allergy apps could play a significant role for different stakeholders, including patients and patient organisations, GPs and the food industry.Joining Table Talk to explain the opportunities, the potential, and the risks around food-allergy supporting mHealth are James Gardner, Allergy Nurse Consultant, Great North Children’s Hospital and Professor Michael Rudenko MD, PHD, FAAAAI, Allergy Consultant, Specialist in Allergy and Immunology, Medical Director and Founder of London Allergy and Immunology Centre. We explore this expanding sector and take a look at what the future might hold for mHealth and food allergy management.About our guestsJames Gardner, Allergy Nurse Consultant, Great North Children’s HospitalJames previously worked with the allergy teams at St Mary’s Hospital, Evelina Children’s Hospital, Royal Free Hospital & Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, all in London.After relocating, he is currently the Children’s and Young Persons Allergy Nurse Consultant at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and Associate Clinical Lecturer in Newcastle University and he is the programme lead of the Allergy E-module. He is the Secretary of the Allied Health working group in the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.He is involved in several European task force groups through the academy including competencies for allied health working allergy and M-health. He is involved with many food allergy support groups and regularly on various allergy social media groups (Twitter @allergynurseuk).Professor Michael Rudenko MD, PHD, FAAAAI, Allergy Consultant, Specialist in Allergy and Immunology, Medical Director and Founder of London Allergy and Immunology CentreProf Rudenko founded London Allergy and Immunology Centre in 2011 as a single practice. The centre has been externally audited and was accredited as a Centre of Excellence and Reference for conditions Urticaria and Angioedema UCARE and ACARE.

Health and wellbeing has become central to many of our lives with health-conscious consumers demanding natural products made with pure and simple ingredients. Immune health has garnered particular attention owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the desire for people to choose functional foods that help support their immune system. The Caribbean has historically been a tropical haven for a range of plant-based or natural ingredients. It’s therefore no surprise that the region is seeing a surge in demand for these natural products. With increased demand, the question of sustainability becomes of paramount importance, not only in terms of preserving the quality and potency of the product during production, but also ensuring farmers and local communities are not compromised or marginalised but in fact benefit from the surge in demand. In this podcast we hear from academics, food and drink industry experts and Caribbean exporters on the functional benefits of seamoss, more commonly known as Irish moss, turmeric, moringa, ginger and other natural products including gluten free flours and tropical fruit pulps and spices on what the Caribbean is doing to ensure sustainable practices and how indigenous communities are supported in meeting this growing trend for immune health. About our panel Natasha Edwin- Walcott, Senior Advisor, Competitiveness and Export Promotion Caribbean Export Development Agency Natasha is a Trade Advisor with over 12 years’ experience in multilateral and regional trade policy. She is the Senior Advisor, Competitiveness and Export Promotion at Caribbean Export Development Agency where her role involves assisting SMEs to become more competitive, become export ready and take their products to market. She has worked at the OECS Trade Mission in Geneva Switzerland, advocating and defending OECS Member State interests before the World Trade Organisation, UNCTAD and other International Organisations. She is also a former employee of Invest Saint Lucia working in investment promotion. Natasha holds a BA in Politics and International Relations, an MA in Globalisation, Development and Transition both from the University of Westminster, UK, and a Post Graduate Certificate in International Management from the University of Liverpool. She is passionate about international affairs and economic development. Ms Kareema Muncey, Owner and Managing Director, Home Choice Enterprise Ltd Ms. Muncey is the owner and Managing Director of Home Choice Enterprise Ltd. She started the company 22 years ago from a bag on her back, selling her first and signature product of Home Choice, peppered shrimp. She never gave up on herself or faith in God and now Home Choice is an award-winning brand and Ms. Muncey is arguably an emerging voice for small businesses in the food manufacturing industry. Dr Damian Cohall, Deputy Dean and a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, University of the West Indies Dr. Damian Cohall is a Jamaican born pharmacologist who joined the Faculty of the Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill in 2008. He is currently the Deputy Dean (Preclinical Sciences) and a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at the university and has profound research interests in Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy. In 2014, he published a book through the UWI Press entitled “Medicinal Plants of Barbados for the Treatment of Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases”. Most recently, he co-authored the chapter “Pharmacodynamics -A Pharmacognosy Perspective” in a book entitled Pharmacognosy: Fundamentals and Strategy, Elsevier: In Press. He also maintains an active research interest in cardiovascular risk profiling and medical education, and has published successfully in those areas. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the West Indian Medical Journal. Umeeda Switlo, President, Naledo Belize Ltd. Umeeda first went to Belize to volunteer with the Belizean government through CUSO International to share her business skills with youth. While in Belize, Umeeda traveled the country and met other people of Indian ancestry. She learned the story of how their ancestors had come to the country as indentured servants over 200 years ago. As they were sharing stories, of course cooking came up; one farmer showed her the turmeric that grew wild on his land. Their ancestors had brought the golden root with them! It was the most vivid orange and the best quality Umeeda had ever seen! After months of experimenting, she came up with the recipe for the world’s first wildcrafted, whole root turmeric paste – Truly Turmeric. We decided to build a social enterprise that would support growers to earn extra income, employ youth, improve health around the world, and produce products sustainably. Our company’s name comes from the district in Belize where our turmeric is sourced, Toledo and Nareena’s name… Na + ledo = Naledo. Embarrassing for her daughter, Nareena, proud mom bragging rights for Umeeda.

The Health Survey for England 2019 estimates that 28% of adults in England are obese, with a further 36% categorised as overweight. For children, 9.9% of 4-5 year olds are obese, growing to 21% by the time they reach 10-11. It's clear that obesity is a major problem in the country, but what are the psychological factors that influence obesity? Can an understanding of psychology help when trying to change the way we interact with food?Joining us to discuss this is Dr Lisa Newson, BSc (Hons), MSc, D Health Psyc. CPsychol. Reader in Applied Health Psychology, Health Psychologist, Liverpool John Moores University. Dr. Newson provides a comprehensive background on the psychological factors that come into play, how they affect the way we make food choices, and what can be done to turn the tide for the future.About Dr. Lisa NewsonDr. Lisa Newson, BSc (Hons), MSc, D Health Psyc. CPsychol. Reader in Applied Health Psychology, Health Psychologist, Liverpool John Moores University.Dr Newson is a Reader in Applied Health Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, who has varied experience as a Health Psychologist. She is a proud innovator of Health Psychology and has experience across the full spectrum of application within academia and healthcare practice. Dr Newson's expertise influences health prevention- overlapping with public health, and is applied directly to the management of long-term conditions. She has lead the British Psychological Society’s Obesity task group, who produced the Psychological Perspectives on Obesity policy document (2019), and has most recently contributed to the Parliamentary Committees post note on childhood obesity (March, 2021).