The Food Chain

BBC World Service

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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553 episodes
Updated Wednesday

Episodes553

Newest first

The power of pepper
We explore what pepper can do for your food.
Oct 15, 2025 · 26 min
How (not) to complain
Believe it or not, restaurants really do want your feedback, but in-person, not online.
Oct 8, 2025 · 26 min
Portion size: How much should you eat?
How to make sure you’re eating the right amount of food
Oct 1, 2025 · 26 min
Dining etiquette: What really matters?
No elbows, no emojis: The new rules of table manners
Sep 24, 2025 · 26 min
How to set a food trend
How much work goes into creating the next big thing in food?
Sep 17, 2025 · 26 min
Flavour: The potato chip story
Ruth Alexander looks at why crisps are one of world's most enduring and popular snacks.
Sep 10, 2025 · 29 min
Should I eat breakfast?
What makes a healthy first meal of the day, and when to have it
Sep 3, 2025 · 26 min
Bottom trawling and the future of global fish supplies
What pressures are these fishing methods placing on oceans and those who depend on them?
Aug 27, 2025 · 26 min
Making care home food better
The people aiming to bring quality, nutritious meals for elderly residents in care homes
Aug 20, 2025 · 26 min
Garlic: Food or medicine?
A journey through this pungent bulb's history, culture and cuisine.
Aug 13, 2025 · 26 min
The anti-dementia diet
Could the food you eat help to reduce your risk of dementia?
Aug 6, 2025 · 26 min
Eating well with dementia
How memory loss changes our relationship with food
Jul 30, 2025 · 26 min
India's caste system and food
How social stigma impacted the cuisine of India’s Dalit community
Jul 23, 2025 · 26 min
A place at the table: fostering and adoption
How a simple plate of food can provide comfort, connection and a sense of belonging.
Jul 16, 2025 · 32 min
Protein v fibre
Is our preoccupation with protein overshadowing another nutritional essential – fibre?
Jul 9, 2025 · 26 min
Video game food
How do you bring a fantastical virtual food item to life in the real world?
Jul 2, 2025 · 26 min
The story of your plate
The history of dinnerware and what it says about the people who use it
Jun 25, 2025 · 26 min
Thai food: Winning hearts and minds
How a government used food to influence how you view the country
Jun 18, 2025 · 30 min
AI in the food chain
How is artificial intelligence rewiring the global food industry?
Jun 11, 2025 · 28 min
The buyers
We speak to three professional buyers about finding the best food at the best price
Jun 4, 2025 · 26 min

The Food Chain

The power of pepper

How (not) to complain

Portion size: How much should you eat?

Dining etiquette: What really matters?

How to set a food trend

Flavour: The potato chip story

Should I eat breakfast?

Bottom trawling and the future of global fish supplies

Making care home food better

Garlic: Food or medicine?

The anti-dementia diet

Eating well with dementia

India's caste system and food

A place at the table: fostering and adoption

Protein v fibre

Video game food

The story of your plate

Thai food: Winning hearts and minds

AI in the food chain

The buyers