The Food Chain

The Food Chain

Author: BBC World Service Language: English Episodes: 100
There’s a story behind every meal, and The Food Chain from the BBC World Service goes out to find it. This isn’t just a series about recipes or restaurant reviews; it’s a deep and often surprising exploration of how food shapes our world. Each episode follows a single thread, whether it’s the economic forces that decide what grows in a field, the hidden science in your kitchen, or the profound cultural traditions carried in a family dish. You’ll hear from farmers, chefs, economists, historians, and scientists, all contributing pieces to a larger picture about our global relationship with what we eat. The conversations reveal the complex journey from source to table, unpacking the labor, innovation, and sometimes the controversy, involved in feeding communities. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a well-reported global conversation, one that changes how you think about the next thing you’ll eat. It connects the personal act of eating to vast systems of business, culture, and science, making the everyday subject of food endlessly fascinating.
Episodes
Family ties [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Food is at the centre of family life – on ordinary days, in the everyday rush, during the dramas, and the quieter moments too. In this episode, Ruth Alexander looks back at some of The Food Chain's most moving and intima…
What is the ultimate hangover cure? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
With the festive season approaching in parts of the world, Ruth Alexander explores what’s actually happening in the body during a hangover, why some people suffer more than others, and whether common remedies make any re…
Food heroes and villains [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
***This programme contains conversations about disordered eating which some listeners may find upsetting*** Social media is awash with nutritional misinformation with foods often cast as superheroes or villains. So how c…
How to eat well in the cold [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
How do you eat well in freezing the cold? When you live in some of the coldest places on earth, what you eat, and how much, really matters. Ruth Alexander hears advice from a scientist, who goes on expeditions to study t…
To tip or not to tip? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Ruth Alexander explores the art and etiquette of tipping and how it varies around the world. She hears from staff and customers in countries where tipping is essential and in places where it can be taken as an insult. Ru…
The servers: The highs and lows of waiting on tables [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
What are the highs and lows of waiting on tables? Ruth Alexander speaks to restaurateurs from London, New York and Mumbai to find out about the inner workings of one of the hardest jobs in the business. Ruth hears from F…
Food by drones? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:14
From pizza delivery to emergency aid, are autonomous aircraft the future? Ruth Alexander looks into whether drones are a feasible alternative to delivery drivers and traditional air drops. We hear how fast food and groce…
Turmeric: The golden spice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
Turmeric has been revered for thousands of years, not just for its mellow taste but for its golden colour and its supposed health giving properties. Rumella Dasgupta looks at its history, its uses in food and medicine an…
The chefs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
You've got to be full of passion to make it as a top chef. It's a highly skilled and physically demanding job that comes with long hours.Ruth Alexander talks to three celebrated and talented chefs from three different co…
The coffee habit: Why do we love it so much? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:59
For millions of us around the world, the day hasn't begun until we've had our first cup of coffee. Ruth Alexander traces our love affair with coffee back through history, to the wilds of Ethiopia where it was first disco…