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Artwork for The Food Chain

The Food Chain

BBC World Service
Nutrition
Culinary Arts
Food Industry
Food
Health Benefits
Food Security
Healthy Eating
Consumer Behavior
Food Waste
Cooking
Taste
Ultra-Processed Food
Hospitality Industry
Dietary Guidelines
Crunch
Food Delivery
Coffee
Olympic Athletes
Climate Change
Restaurant Industry

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes561Founded12 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
FoodArtsSociety & Culture

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Artwork for The Food Chain

Latest Episodes

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 explores the science of appetite – what causes us to feel hungry and full and why our appetites differ from ... more

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?

Ruth Alexander looks into what happens to the body on these drugs and what it feels like to take them. She l... more

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 some culture shocks and food can be a big part of that.

Ruth Alexander speaks to people who have lived in diff... more

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 and cook from scratch.

But is it that easy?

With the help of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization,... more

Key Facts

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Recent Guests

Federica Amati
Medical scientist and public health nutritionist
Imperial College London
Episode: How to eat for success on weight-loss drugs
Whitney Black
Registered dietitian
Nebraska, United States
Episode: How to eat for success on weight-loss drugs
Michelle Herum
Individual managing weight on GLP-1 medications
Denmark
Episode: How to eat for success on weight-loss drugs
Kelvin Cheung
Chinese Canadian chef
Chef, lived in India, Belgium, Dubai
Episode: Culture shock
Miwa Kishi
Cookery teacher
Japan, living in the Netherlands
Episode: Culture shock
Jen Ballantyne
Teacher
UK, lived in Japan, Tanzania, Brunei and Azerbaijan
Episode: Culture shock
Maximo Terero-Cullen
FAO Chief Economist
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Episode: Is a healthy diet more expensive?
Sarah Nakame
Smallholder farmer and founder of Audacious Network Africa
Audacious Network Africa
Episode: Is a healthy diet more expensive?
Lucy Antal
Project lead for a mobile greengrocer service
The Food Chain / Liverpool project
Episode: Is a healthy diet more expensive?

Hosts

Rumella Dasgupta
Host of The Food Chain
Ruth Alexander
Host of The Food Chain

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 1.2k ratings
  • Sandwiches

    Since when has Manchester been using dollars and not pounds?

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    hannakuso
    United Kingdom7 months ago
  • Love this show!

    Another great episode! Yumm!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ghb59
    United States9 months ago
  • Perfect

    Talks about all modern issues such as influencers conning people to eat certain foods and get rid of some

    May be a kid but it’s so informative

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    marshmallow2016 march
    United Kingdom9 months ago
  • Excellent guests who provide a very insightful look into the world of restaurant service. Listening teaches one what they ought to expect from their servers and how they should comport themselves when eating out.

    Podcast Addict
    4
    ithabise
    a year ago
  • Crisps

    Why did we have to listen to someone pretending to make a crisp sandwich and then pretending to eat it? Ludicrous!

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    hannakuso
    United Kingdoma year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The host delivers content with a calm, insightful style that keeps complex topics approachable.
Guests bring diverse expertise, making episodes educational and engaging.
Listeners appreciate the breadth of topics, from history to modern food science.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#52
United States/Arts/Food
Apple Podcasts
#9
Canada/Arts/Food
Apple Podcasts
#14
United Kingdom/Arts/Food
Apple Podcasts
#93
Canada/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#118
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#19
Australia/Arts/Food

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Culture shock
Q: Thinking back to when you first arrived in Japan, do you remember a moment when you realized cooking and eating would be different?
Miwa explains that the initial overwhelm came from everything being in Japanese and unfamiliar packaging; over time she found a system by recognizing familiar items, asking locals, and learning through interaction, which gradually built her confidence.
What do chefs eat?
Q: What do you want to eat after your shift ends?
Most respond with quick, comforting, carb-rich foods that help reset after a long service, rather than elaborate meals.
What do World Cup footballers eat?
Q: How do teams handle the post-match meal and celebrations?
There is room for creative, morale-boosting options after games, such as themed meals or shared family-style celebrations, while still aligning with overall nutrition and recovery goals.
What do World Cup footballers eat?
Q: How are menus and catering organized when a team competes across multiple countries?
Catering plans are developed months in advance with site visits and brand-specific product selections; coordination with hotels and performance nutritionists ensures consistency across venues while accommodating local availability and cultural preferences.
What do World Cup footballers eat?
Q: What does a World Cup footballer need to eat?
Nutrition strategies are highly individualized, taking into account each player's size, position, training load, and even travel-related factors; menus are planned with a mix of carby, protein, and veggie options, adjusted for kickoff timing and digestion to optimize performance.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Food Chain

What is The Food Chain about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show explores the business, science, and cultural significance of food, highlighting how meals are produced, consumed, and celebrated around the world. Across episodes, conversations weave together historical context, scientific insights, and practical food culture, often featuring guests from academia, industry, and media to unpack topics like dietary trends, cooking practices, hospitality, and food systems. Noteworthy are its multidisciplinary angles (nutrition, history, sensory science) and its willingness to spotlight both everyday eating and high-profile culinary phenomena, making complex ideas accessible to curious listeners and industry professionals alike.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Food Chain?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Food Chain. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Food Chain and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Food Chain get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Food Chain, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Food Chain?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Food Chain, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Food Chain have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Food Chain has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Food Chain?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Food Chain:

1. The Food Programme
2. Good Food
3. Sliced Bread
4. CrowdScience
5. Health Check

How many episodes of The Food Chain are there?

The Food Chain launched 12 years ago and published 561 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Food Chain?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Food Chain?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Food Chain from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Food Chain?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Food Chain. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Food Chain?

Recent guests on The Food Chain include:

1. Federica Amati
2. Whitney Black
3. Michelle Herum
4. Kelvin Cheung
5. Miwa Kishi
6. Jen Ballantyne
7. Maximo Terero-Cullen
8. Sarah Nakame

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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