The Food Foundation Podcast

Childhood obesity rates in England have reached their highest level in 20 years.Government statistics also show the gulf between young people in deprived areas and more affluent neighbourhoods is widening. Our Executive Director Anna Taylor asks why ministers are dragging their feet on commitments to improve child health in our latest podcast.Click here for more information and here for the Food Foundation newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode, presented by Melissa Hemsley, asks what the world's longest-lived populations actually eat, and finds beans at the heart of every answer. Blue Zones author Dan Buettner explains why beans, are the common denominator of long life, while Pasta Grannies' author, Vicky Bennison and food writer, Frankie Paz introduce the grandmothers whose bean-rich cooking is now inspiring a genuine social media trend. Actor Peter Egan, turning 80 this autumn, shares his plant-based, bean-powered approach to staying active on set.In this episode:● What the Blue Zones actually have in common● The Sardinian family who've eaten the same minestrone daily for decades● Why “nonnamaxxing” is trending with Gen Z● Peter Egan's on-set bean rider, at nearly 80Featuring: Dan Buettner, Vicky Bennison, Frankie Paz, Peter Egan, Francesco Mattana, and Food Foundation ambassador Jani with her grandad. Click here for more information on Bang in Some Beans, and here for all the recipes in the series.Click here for both series of Bang in Some BeansProduced by Gilly Smith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ana Cuddeford, Head of Investor Engagement at Inside Track tells us about a memo the organisation has published this month from senior food industry professionals on the threats facing supply chains.As climate and biodiversity risks grow, they are concerned that persistent short-termism within food company boards is preventing long-term resilience.Click here for more information on the Inside Track Memo, and here for the Food Foundation newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Only 4% of UK adults meet their recommended daily fibre intake. This episode, presented by Melissa Hemsley, takes that statistic to the football stadium, where caterer Levy is quietly reworking match-day menus at Tottenham, Aston Villa, Brentford and Manchester United — including a beetroot-and-bean hot dog already winning over fans. Sports dietitian Renee McGregor and Exeter researcher Dr Luciana Torquati unpack the genuine performance science behind beans, while two 13-year-old footballers discover, on air, that beans are a protein source.In this episode:● Why only 4% of UK adults get enough fibre● Inside the stadium kitchens quietly swapping meat for beans● The gut-health science that could change how athletes fuel● Two teenage footballers learn beans are a protein source, liveFeaturing: Susie Crabbe and Adam Fargin (Levy), Jess Miller, Bez, Renee McGregor, Dr Luciana Torquati, Blue and Jackson, Jeffrey Boadi. Click here for more information on Bang in Some Beans, and here for all the recipes in the series.Produced by Gilly Smith.Click here for both series of Bang in Some BeansProduced by Gilly Smith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New figures show 750,000 pregnant women and children in households on Universal Credit are missing out on the government's Healthy Start scheme due to strict eligibility criteria. Our Policy and Advocacy Manager Shona Goudie tells us about a Food Foundation-led campaign, involving more than 100 organisations, calling for the scheme to be urgently expanded.Watch the campaign animation video here, and sign up to The Food Foundation newsletter here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From cocktail bars to coffee cups to the fields of Britain, this episode, presented by Melissa Hemsley, tracks the frontier of bean innovation. World-renowned bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) reveals how caramelised beans unlock unexpected dessert-wine flavours, while Koppie's beanless “coffee” convinces Brighton taste-testers who can't quite place what they're drinking. Kew's Dr Caspar Chater and young farmer Anna Wylie make the case for beans as a genuine answer to climate volatility in British agriculture.In this episode:● The blackened bean technique that turns haricots into dessert-wine flavours● Beanless “coffee” that fooled a Brighton taste test● Why climate change could make Britain a chickpea and lentil country● The business case for British-grown fava bean proteinFeaturing: Ryan Chetiyawardana (Mr Lyan), Daan Raemdonck (Koppie), Dr Caspar Chater (Kew), Anna Wylie (UK Youth Food & Farming Forum), Adam Palmer (Honest Bean), Paul Donegan (Atura Proteins). Produced by Gilly Smith. Click here for more information on Bang in Some Beans, and here for all the recipes in the series.Click here for both series of Bang in Some BeansProduced by Gilly Smith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The question isn't whether food matters, it’s whether policymakers are prepared to treat it with the urgency it deserves.So what role did the food system play at this year's political party conferences? Our Public Affairs Lead Sophia Greenblatt reflects on this after attending events by Reform, Labour, the Greens, Liberal Democrats, and Conservatives in our latest podcast.Click here for the Food Foundation newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if every child had access to a school meal that fuels concentration, boosts their fibre and protein intake and doesn't break the bank?In the first episode of Series 2 of Bang in Some Beans, the voice of the Food Foundation and Veg Power's mission to get the UK eating more beans by 2028, Melissa Hemsley looks at the role that beans can play in school food.As new school food standards take effect, this episode visits the classrooms and kitchens already ahead of the curve. Dr Fatma Sabet of the University of Exeter has spent the summer trialling Feed, a school-dinner staple made from Devon venison and UK-grown legumes, winning over the toughest critics of all: primary school pupils. In Birmingham, coach Mohammed Uddin's bean cupcake workshops are teaching children the nutrition case for beans in their own words.In this episode:● Meet Feed: wild venison and UK legumes, disguised as a school meatball● What the kids actually thought (7.5 out of 10, and a request for pasta)● Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on why school food policy needs teeth● Inside a Birmingham bean cupcake workshop with primary-age criticsFeaturing: Dr Fatma Sabet, Ellie Fairchild, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Mohammed Uddin, Pam Noel, and Shivi Ramoutar. Click here for more information on Bang in Some Beans, and here for all the recipes in the series.Click here for series 1 of Bang in Some BeansProduced by Gilly Smith Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our Bang in Some Beans podcast series is back - and this time it's bigger than ever. Series two features a star-studded line-up, including longevity expert Dan Buettner, Happy Mondays frontman Bez, and actor Peter Egan, among others.They'll explore some intriguing questions, such as what do the world's longest-lived populations actually eat? And can better food improve behaviour in prisons? But there's plenty of fun too, from entrepreneurs using beans to unlock dessert-wine flavours and create beanless 'coffee', to the beetroot and bean hot dog winning over Premiership football fans.Click here for more information on Bang in Some BeansClick here for series 1 of Bang in Some BeansProduced by Gilly Smith. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does campaigning to improve the food system look like through the eyes of a youth activist?We invited Food Ambassador Jacob Kennedy and our Citizen Engagement Assistant Maki Ramaditya onto the podcast to share some insight and spill the beans on this year's annual 'Resi' for young ambassadors. The Food Ambassador Programme is for volunteers aged between 14 to 25, many of whom have lived experience of food insecurity and can report from the front line on how the food system can be made fairer and should be made fairer. The residential is their opportunity to meet up and share their experience and their wins in a year of campaigning.Click here for more information on the food ambassadors and here for the Food Foundation newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.