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

Jan 9, 2025 · 29 min
What's the point of cookbooks?
We ask why people are still willing to pay for recipes
Dec 19, 2024 · 26 min
Has Christmas food gone mad?
Inside the race for creating the most eye-catching festive flavours
Dec 12, 2024 · 26 min
Stadium food
The best – and worst – things to eat at sports grounds across the world
Dec 5, 2024 · 26 min
Croffle, anyone?
The rise of the dessert café and the extraordinary creations it’s spawned
Nov 28, 2024 · 26 min
How did fast food become so successful?
The story of how fast-food chains took over the world
Nov 21, 2024 · 28 min
We are 10!
We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite moments
Nov 14, 2024 · 26 min
Just vanilla
Underappreciated and unfairly maligned. Is vanilla worth reconsidering?
Nov 7, 2024 · 29 min
How work changed lunch
The history and evolution of the workplace lunch
Oct 23, 2024 · 26 min
Living with water shortages
The cities living with drought and limited water supplies
Oct 16, 2024 · 27 min
Housemates
The highs and lows of cooking in a shared kitchen
Oct 9, 2024 · 26 min
How much water should I drink?
How your age, sex, and geographic location impact how much water you need
Oct 2, 2024 · 28 min
Can you taste a place?
Terroir is usually associated with wine, but does it exist in food?
Sep 25, 2024 · 26 min
So you want to run a food truck?
Tips from the people running mobile food businesses
Sep 18, 2024 · 27 min
How ‘Bangla Town’ changed a nation's food culture
The legacy of Bangladeshi-run restaurants in London’s Brick Lane
Sep 11, 2024 · 26 min
Forever foods
The dishes that can be replenished again and again
Sep 4, 2024 · 26 min
Don't call me an influencer!
Secrets of the social media food content creators
Aug 28, 2024 · 30 min
How risky is drinking alcohol?
We look at what the evidence says about the health risks of drinking alcohol
Aug 21, 2024 · 26 min
What does collagen do for you?
Cosmetic companies and A-listers recommend it, but how sure is the science?
Aug 14, 2024 · 26 min
The business of food halls
Why bringing multiple food retailers under one roof is profitable
Aug 7, 2024 · 28 min
First impressions of a new food culture
Stories of culinary discovery from across the world

The Food Chain

What's the point of cookbooks?

Has Christmas food gone mad?

Stadium food

Croffle, anyone?

How did fast food become so successful?

We are 10!

Just vanilla

How work changed lunch

Living with water shortages

Housemates

How much water should I drink?

Can you taste a place?

So you want to run a food truck?

How ‘Bangla Town’ changed a nation's food culture

Forever foods

Don't call me an influencer!

How risky is drinking alcohol?

What does collagen do for you?

The business of food halls

First impressions of a new food culture