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The Food Chain

BBC

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

Episodes

20 of 563 episodes

The joy (and pain) of sharing food

Do you love to share food with friends and family? Or resent handing over even one french fry from your plate? Sharing food has a long and p...

26:29Oct 21, 2026

How to eat well when travelling for work

What does a life on tour do to a stand-up comedian's eating habits? And how do you stay healthy if half of your working life is spent travel...

26:28Oct 14, 2026

Why do I feel hungry?

Are you hungry? How often do you stop to think about why that is and what sort of foods you are hungry for? In this programme Ruth Alexander...

26:28Oct 7, 2026

How to eat for success on weight-loss drugs

Weight-loss medication, or GLP-1s as they are also known, are designed to suppress your appetite - so how do you make every mouthful count?...

26:29Sep 30, 2026

Culture shock

Imagine not recognising the food in the shops, markets and restaurants around you. Moving to a new country to live and work can come with so...

26:29Sep 23, 2026

Is a healthy diet more expensive?

Is it more expensive to eat healthily? You might think the answer is simple: Yes of course, if you buy fruits, vegetables, beans and pulses...

26:29Sep 16, 2026

What do chefs eat?

Ever wondered what the chef is eating? Snacking on the finest produce or surviving on thin air and caffeine? In this episode Ruth Alexander...

26:29Sep 9, 2026

The regulars

Do you have a local cafe, restaurant or bar that you go to all the time? Maybe the staff recognise you or know you by name, perhaps you even...

26:28Aug 19, 2026

Leaving home

Moving out of the family home can be a big first step at whatever age you do it. Paying bills, budgeting, shopping, and importantly cooking...

26:28Aug 12, 2026

What can food tell us about the past?

What can food reveal about the people who came before us? From ancient meals and family recipes to the chemical traces left behind in bones...

26:29Aug 5, 2026

Should I cut down on carbs?

Have you ever asked yourself: should I do Keto? Is white rice good for me? Am I eating too many carbohydrates? If so, then this episode of T...

26:29Jul 29, 2026

When should I eat my evening meal?

When should you eat your evening meal? Is it really better to eat earlier, or does it depend on when you go to bed? And if you do have to ea...

26:29Jul 22, 2026

The rise of eating alone

Listener Melanie wrote into The Food Chain to ask us to make a programme about the rising numbers of people who eat alone. She told us she o...

26:27Jul 15, 2026

What do World Cup footballers eat?

Elite footballers are among the world's most finely tuned athletes. Every meal is carefully planned to fuel training, maximise recovery and...

26:29Jul 8, 2026

How to order a restaurant meal like a pro

With dining out becoming an increasingly expensive luxury, we find out how to order the perfect restaurant meal with top tips from a panel o...

26:28Jul 1, 2026

What to eat for a better night's sleep

Many of us have our own theories about sleep. Perhaps it's avoiding coffee after lunch, drinking chamomile tea before bed, or having a warm...

26:28Jun 24, 2026

Why do we love smoky flavours so much?

The history of smoking foods stretches back many years, but when did what began purely for preservation become a highly sought-after flavour...

26:29Jun 17, 2026

Can music change the way food tastes?

Music is part of the backdrop to millions of meals every day. But what if it is doing more than simply creating atmosphere? In this episode...

26:28Jun 11, 2026

Can I save the family restaurant?

Running a restaurant is hard. Long hours, tight margins and constant stress. In this week's programme Rumella Dasgupta travels to Edinburgh,...

26:27Jun 3, 2026

The business of food tours

Food tours are becoming one of the fastest-growing parts of the travel industry, with tourists increasingly choosing to explore cities and c...

26:28May 27, 2026