The Food Chain

Protein is a health and fitness buzzword – plastered on packaging, prioritised in diets and praised by fitness influencers. But is our preoccupation with protein overshadowing another nutritional essential – fibre? Ruth Alexander explores the science, and marketing, behind protein’s popularity with expert guests Dr Emma Beckett, a food and nutrition scientist and communicator in Australia, and author of You Are More Than What You Eat; physician and social media creator Dr Karan Rajan, who is the author of This Book May Save Your Life; Scott Dicker from SPINS market research company in Chicago; Paul Kita, deputy editor of Men’s Health Magazine in the US.

Producer: Izzy Greenfield

It can be the difference between life and death for your character, signal you’re on a hostile planet or in a sumptuous world, or can even give you the whole basis for a game.

In this week’s Food Chain we hear where the ideas for some of the most disgusting and delicious foods in games come from, and how to recreate them in real life.

Video game creator Tim Cain tells us why food was such an important tool in his games Fallout and The Outer Worlds. Author and gamer Cassandra Reeder tells us why she started making entire recipe books based on food from video games, and how important is food in gaming? Video game enthusiast Harriet tells us why it's an essential tool for escapism.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Ruth Alexander
Producers: Izzy Greenfield and Hannah Bewley

What can we tell about a society from the plates, bowls and cups it uses?

In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about the history of pottery, from early earthenware to the porcelain discovered by ancient China, known as ‘white gold’.

Professor of archaeology, Joanita Vroom from Leiden University in the Netherlands explains why every pot has a story to tell.

Historian Professor Suzanne Marchand from Louisiana State University in the United States picks up the story of porcelain in the 18th century. Such was its value that it prompted numerous failed attempts, theft and even imprisonment of those who knew the secret recipe.

Ruth visits the Wedgwood factory and museum collection in North Staffordshire in the English Midlands. V&A curator Kate Turner explains how the company’s founder, Josiah Wedgwood, changed dinnerware tastes once again – catering to an emerging consumer class looking for affordable ways to decorate their home. Ruth tours the factory and meets Emma Glynn, Creative Director of Wedgwood to discuss the challenges in today’s market.

Produced by Beatrice Pickup

(Image: a potter throwing a plate on a potter's wheel. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Love Thai food? It might be thanks to a two-decade long policy on the part of the government of Thailand to promote its food culture abroad, with the express aim of increasing trade and tourism.

Ruth Alexander explores how food can be used as a foreign policy tool, influencing not just world leaders but seeking to win the hearts and minds of the public.

Academic Sam Chapple-Sokol at George Washington University in the US explains why gastro-diplomacy is such an effective tool for soft power.

Jan Wisansing, tourism policy consultant in Bangkok, explains the impact of the Global Thai scheme on international tourism to the country.

Ruth speaks to the owners of LumLum Thai restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, who have recently received a Thai SELECT award, an official endorsement from the government of Thailand.

And writer and historian Ali Domrongchai in the US talks about the impact of this approach on her own family’s Thai restaurant in Florida.

Producer: Beatrice Pickup.
Reporter: Gideon Long in Bangkok

(Image: A plate of pad thai, said to be Thailand’s national dish, with Thailand’s flag in the background. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

How is artificial intelligence reshaping the global food industry? Rumella Dasgupta explores how AI is helping chefs experiment with new recipes, reducing food waste in factories and streamlining supply chains.

She speaks to Tamsin Deasey Weinsten, a though leader on the AI industry, to discover the parts of the food supply chain that AI is affecting the most.

In the kitchen, chef Matan Zakan tells us how he uses AI chatbots to assist him with recipes and food orders.

AI is also revealing problems that have long been overlooked. We speak to Dini McGrath, co founder of ZEST, a company that has developed an AI programme to address food waste.

And the CEO of Chef Robotics, Rajat Bhageria, welcomes us to meet his AI enabled robots, designed to help labour shortage problems in the food industry.