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BBC World Service


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


The Food Chain

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 groceries are being delivered into suburban back gardens in Helsinki and Dublin and to a waterside collection point in Hong Kong. Is this technology something we might see everywhere soon? Ruth looks at its advantages and limitations and finds out how drones are carrying essential food to remote communities in Madagascar.

Taking part were Danny Vincent, BBC Hong Kong reporter, Ville Lepalä, the CEO and co-founder of Huuva foodhall, Bobby Healy, the CEO of Manna Aero, Santanu Chakraborty, chief executive officer of Bal Raksha Bharat – Save the Children India and Hedley Tah from the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service, which is run by the World Food programme.

Produced by Rumella Dasgupta.

Image: A drone is flying against a stylised blue sky background. It is holding a white box which says Food Delivery on it in black letters. (Credit Getty Images/ sarawuth702)

Food by drones?

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 and talks to scientists who have studied the spice. She finds out what they've learned about its fabled medicinal qualities and whether it's really worth paying for expensive turmeric lattes and turmeric supplements. 

Featuring Dr Kathryn Nelson, Prof Amit Garg, Ragini Kayshap and Seema and Sarla Nagpaul.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Producer: Lexy O'Connor 

(Image: a teaspoon of golden turmeric powder sits on a spoon, against a bright green background. Credit: G/ Getty Simonkr)

Turmeric: The golden spice

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 continents about the highs and lows of their careers. They tell Ruth why they love the job so much and whether chef culture has changed in the years they've been working in kitchens. 

Featuring May Chow, Chantel Dartnall and Sean Kenworthy. 
 
If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 
 
Image: A chef in a white jacket sharpens a big knife in a professional kitchen. Credit: Getty images / Fertnig.

The chefs

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 discovered. She experiences some of the ancient traditions built around coffee which still endure today and asks why this bitter drink has always had such a hold over us. 

And does it matter if we enjoy a coffee or three every day? Ruth finds out what's it doing to our brains and bodies, and whether we really need to worry about kicking this ancient habit. 

Produced by Lexy O'Connor 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Image: Three roasted coffee beans float on a light green background. Credit: Getty/Jose A. Bernat Bacete

The coffee habit: Why do we love it so much?

Pepper is ubiquitous at the dining table, but arguably most of us don’t know much about it. 

In this programme John Laurenson finds out about the pepper plant – how it is grown and harvested and the range of flavours it can offer. He learns about the history of this spice and why it was once so revered, and the ways in which you can use it today to make your food not just tastier, but also healthier. 

If you’d like to contact the programme you can email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Produced and presented by John Laurenson.

Image: a cartoon wooden pepper mill with specks of ground pepper coming out of it, floats on a blue background. (Credit: Getty/yurumarukko)

The power of pepper

How confident would you feel about complaining if a restaurant meal was not up to scratch? 

Restaurateurs in the UK, South Africa and the United States compare stories of the most outrageous complaints they’ve received, and how they were dealt with. 

They tell Ruth Alexander how increasing numbers of customers are "weaponising" the threat of negative online reviews. 

And if you’re someone who struggles to complain when things go wrong, there’s advice on how to make your voice heard calmly and assertively. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Produced by Lexy O'Connor

Image: A young woman is arguing with a waiter in a cafe. She has a pastry on her plate and is holding a cup of coffee. Credit: Getty/Wavebreak Media

How (not) to complain

How much food is the “right” amount - and why is it so hard to work that out?

Ruth Alexander explores the world of portion sizes, starting with the rise of “portion distortion” in the United States, where supersized sodas and giant restaurant plates became the norm. Nutritionist Lisa Young explains how this shift happened, and what it’s meant for public health.

In São Paulo, dietitian Marle Alvarenga shares new research comparing Brazil, France, and the US, revealing how culture and globalisation shape what feels like a normal portion. Why are French plates so much smaller - and meals so much slower - than in Brazil or America?

And psychologist Lenny Vartanian in Sydney explains the powerful pull of portion size on our behaviour: why bigger servings make us eat more, even when we know better, and why education alone isn’t enough to change our habits.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

Producer: Izzy Greenfield

Photo: Three spoons showing different portion sizes (credit: getty)

Portion size: How much should you eat?

Listeners to BBC World Service told us they hate it when fellow diners chew noisily or talk with their mouth full. But what is polite at mealtimes can vary wildly according to where in the world you are and who you are with.

Ruth Alexander visits London's City of Westminster College to meet some of its teenage students, to find out about their different backgrounds and what good manners mean to them. She visits an exclusive private members club in the heart of London's West end to talk to Rupert Wesson, a director and coach at the British etiquette institution Debrett’s. And she hears from Japanese language tutor Chika Nakagawa about the rules that govern mealtimes in Japan.

Plus what if you are thrown into a world you weren't prepared for? After tough beginnings and through sheer determination Reggie Nelson built a career in finance. He tells Ruth about his extraordinary path to success and how he got through his first formal business dinner.

And what about when a restaurant meal brings out the worst in a customer? Mo Abedin, owner of Sticky Rice Thai restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi talks about how he and his staff deal with the nightmare diners who have forgotten their manners.

Producer: Lexy O'Connor

(Image: A bearded man in a shirt and tie is eating a meal in front of a red background. He is shovelling a big fork full of noodles into his mouth whilst staring at his mobile phone. Credit: Getty Images/Group4 Studio)

Dining etiquette: What really matters?

Have you tried Dubai chocolate, hot honey or the fruit sando? They’re just a few examples of viral food trends which got everyone talking on social media. 

Rumella Dasgupta talks to creators and product developer to find out how much work goes into creating the next big thing in food. She hears how there’s often years of work behind the product that seems to suddenly be the latest craze. 

It might look as though some food trends go viral overnight, but entrepreneur Mike Kurtz explains how creating his brand Mike’s Hot Honey took years of hard work. Product developers Katie McDaid and Robert Craggs tell Rumella how their jobs involve travelling the world to find the next big thing in food. Plus chef and food writer Pierre Thiam, explains how he’s been working tirelessly for decades to bring the ancient West African grain Fonio to worldwide attention. 

We’d love to hear about the viral foods you’ve tried and what you thought of them. You can email the team at thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Producer: Lexy O’Connor

How to set a food trend

Self-confessed crisp lover Ruth Alexander traces the story of the crisp or potato chip, starting with a tasting experience matching fine wines and “rubbish crisps” at a wine bar in the northern English city of Manchester. 

With the help of journalist and crisp historian Natalie Whittle, Ruth finds out about the commercial beginnings of the potato chip in the fine dining rooms of nineteenth century New York. She meets the chef who travels the world searching for new taste sensations to develop into a packet of crisps for snack giant Frito-Lays. Can you guess which flavours nearly, but not quite, made it onto the shelves? 

Ruth also talks to salty snack expert Jolene Ng of Mintel, who researches the role crisps play in modern life. And with Japan renowned for its unusual flavours, Ruth meets Makoto Ehara, the boss of one of the country’s biggest potato chip makers Calbee, who tells her about the threat climate change poses to the future of the potato chip industry. 

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk 

Produced by Lexy O’Connor 

Photo: A woman in a bright pink jumper is smiling as she pushes a supermarket trolley through the potato crisp aisle. Credit: dowell / getty images

Flavour: The potato chip story

Pan fried, artisanal, gourmet: there's a fashion for foodie words. Why? 

In this episode, Ruth Alexander finds out how restaurants use language, psychology and behavioural economics to whet your appetite and increase their profits. 

Linguist Dr Keri Matwick of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore explains the research that shows the longer the description of a dish, the more expensive on average it is. 

Chef Caroline Martins of Sampa at Blossom Street Social Wine Bar in Manchester, England talks about the mistakes she made when she first designed her menus. 

Sean Willard of Menu Engineers in California gives us an insight into the power of using a box on the menu.

And thanks to listener Simon in London who emailed thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk with the idea for the programme. Neither he nor we will look at a menu in the same way again.

Presented by Ruth Alexander.
Produced by Beatrice Pickup.

(Image: a woman holding a menu in front of her face. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

How to read a menu

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