We are celebrating 10 years of The Food Chain with some of our favourite programme moments from the past decade.... more

Dull? Boring? Plain? Vanilla is a byword for something which is ordinary or standard. In this programme Ruth Alexander... more

How do our work habits shape what we eat? In this programme Izzy Greenfield discovers the history of the... more

Water scarcity is an increasing problem on every continent, according to the United Nations. Around half the world’s population experiences... more

Did you share a flat, house or kitchen as a student or professional? Is it the shared meals and conversation... more

Do you know how much you should drink? Many global guidelines recommend approximately 2 litres a day for women and... more

Is it possible to taste a place? A listener wonders whether the French concept of ‘terroir’ can apply to food... more

Fancy starting a food truck? It can be a way to trial new food concepts and see if your business... more

An Indian curry house is one of the most popular places to go out for a meal in the UK,... more

Ruth Alexander learns about ‘forever’ foods - stocks, soups and sourdough starters that can be replenished again and again and... more

Social media is awash with videos of people trying out new recipes at home and exploring the best hidden foodie... more

If you’re a light or moderate drinker, the World Health Organization wants you to know that no level of alcohol... more

Is it worth taking collagen? With cosmetic companies and A-listers claiming it can slow the effects of ageing, the market... more

Have you visited a food hall recently? It’s a venue bringing together multiple independent food and drink businesses, often with... more

Strawberries at the airport when meeting your future husband for the first time, finally tasting world famous fish and chips... more

Have you heard of ‘super sweet’ sweetcorn? If you’ve purchased fresh, frozen or tinned sweetcorn in the last few decades... more

Three million bananas; 600-800 baguettes a day; 47,000 plates...as the world’s elite sportsmen and women arrive in Paris, a huge... more

Why do we cook? To create flavour, to aid digestion and to release nutrients from our food. Every time... more

Of the tens of millions of people around the world with autism or down syndrome, only a tiny fraction is... more

Taste, it turns out, is not a matter of opinion. Scientists have discovered that your perception of taste is informed... more

More of us are living in cities and urban farming is on the rise. Can you be sure the city... more

What’s it like spending 24 hours a day together? Ruth Alexander speaks to couples who run restaurants. She hears how... more

In a world where ingredients cost more due to war and inflation how is easy is it to make and... more

Ruth Alexander speaks to patients about their experiences of weight-loss drugs. The new class of drugs impact appetite, making you... more

Devina Gupta takes a food tour of her home city of Delhi to see how people are adapting to rising... more

Ruth Alexander explores the origins and evolution of the humble grab-and-go food the burrito, which started life in northern Mexico,... more

Cows emit greenhouse gases when they eat, which contributes to global warming. But is it possible to produce meat in... more

Why eat with your hands? Many food cultures around the world eat using hands, and most of us use our... more

Stunning cakes, colourful salads and intricate garnishes use flowers to entice customers, but there’s more to this trend than just... more

Do you know how much salt you should be eating? And if I tell you it’s less than 5... more

Over two million people work in the international shipping trade, and they are often at sea for months at a... more

What’s the secret behind the on-screen chemistry shared by some TV chef duos? The recent death of Dave Myers, one... more

These are tough times for restaurants. If the pandemic's rolling lockdowns were not bad enough, independent eateries now find themselves... more

Step inside the chocolate factory to hear the secrets of what it’s like to invent sweet treats for a living.... more

Fasting has been a religious and cultural practice for thousands of years, why do people do it? What happens to... more

Dumplings feature prominently in cuisines around the world. Some, like the Ghanaian kenkey, or the Irish dumpling, are balls of... more

Sweet, sour, salty, bitter and... umami. Have you heard of the fifth taste? Umami, meaning ‘delicious flavour’ in Japanese, was... more

Three school chefs tell Ruth Alexander what it’s like serving up canteen food every day. Find out how they... more

Have you heard of ultra processed food? In 2010 a group of Brazilian scientists said we should be focusing less... more

What do you and your family chat about at dinner? We eavesdrop on conversations over food all over the world,... more

The city of Detroit in the United States has a lot of vacant space – as much as a quarter... more

In February 2023, two earthquakes devastated parts of Turkey. The disaster claimed the lives of nearly 60,000 people in southern... more

Chinese food is popular and successful around the world. But is it afforded the respect it deserves? In some countries... more

Have you ever wondered why the apple you bite in to is so crisp and juicy? And why it’s available... more

Humans have preserved food to make it last longer for thousands of years. In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about... more

Ruth Alexander talks to two families displaced by the war in Ukraine, as they reflect on their second year away... more

We take a trip around the world with BBC World Service presenters and listeners, finding out which are their favourite... more

Our brains require 20% of our body’s energy intake, despite making up, on average, only 2% of our body weight.... more

It’s estimated that more than 2 billion people use polluting stoves - with severe consequences for their health. The World... more

Many countries allow the manufacture and export of pesticides that are banned for use in their own countries. ... more

Seaweed soup, aniseed sprinkles on toast, pig trotter soup and fried chicken. In this episode Ruth Alexander learns about what... more

The European Union wants to introduce one system for scoring the sustainability of food products. The new requirements are likely... more

Pan fried, artisanal, gourmet: there's a fashion for foodie words. Why? In this episode, Ruth Alexander finds out how... more

Wherever humans go, whatever we do, we need to eat. In this programme, we meet the people cooking at the... more

Ghana’s inflation rate is one of the highest in the world, much of it driven by rising food prices. In... more

This week, Ruth Alexander is exploring the growing market for professional home cooking and asking whether you’re guaranteed the luxury... more

More than half of us globally now live in cities. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, that number will... more

What if you could reach a great age through your dietary choices? Imagine – that the food you eat has... more

Bonnie Garmus, author of the bestselling novel Lessons in Chemistry, shares the story of her life through five dishes. ... more

Many dishes have become famous national symbols both at home and abroad, for example Italian pizza, or British fish and... more

Consumers have the buying power but how much are they considered when a brand decides to make a change? ... more

As India welcomes the world’s biggest economies for the G20 meeting this September, we look at the role that food... more

Weaning refers to the process of introducing your baby to solid foods, alongside breast milk or formula. In the UK,... more

Imagine not being able to sit and eat at the dinner table with your family without feeling furious. ... more

The banh mi is a staple street food in Vietnam and increasingly popular around the world. But how did it... more

Italian food is one of the most popular cuisines in the world, but how did it first make its way... more

At what age should you start teaching children to cook, and why should you? In this programme, Ruth Alexander meets... more

Immersive dining has become something of a culinary craze in recent years. As well as serving food, restaurants... more

The African continent is seeing one of the fastest rates of urbanisation in the world. As people move to... more

Going to a wedding this year? Spare a thought for the caterers - expected to put on ever-more elaborate... more

Out of necessity, in adversity, or for the fun of it - how, and why did you learn to cook?... more

Salt has been a staple ingredient in cooking and preserving food for thousands of years. It adds flavour to food,... more

Could our office, apartment and public buildings also be farms? In this programme, Ruth Alexander meets the pioneers of rooftop... more

Tabasco sauce, Lea and Perrins, Angostura Bitters. Those are a few of a very select number of sauces, condiments and... more

Television cookery competitions are big business – drawing audiences in their millions over multiple series. How did they become such... more

A lunch break can tell you quite a lot about a country’s work culture; ranging from two-hour, luxuriant pauses in... more

Why go to culinary school when you could learn on the job? Three trained chefs-turned teachers make the case for... more

How can you be sure you’re eating what you think you’re eating? In most cases, food fraud won’t make you... more

The world’s first octopus farm is being planned by a Spanish seafood multinational. The intelligent creatures are difficult to rear... more

The crowning of a British monarch calls for an official dish. In 1953, for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II,... more

Genetically-modified food has long been a subject of debate. It was first introduced to market in the United States in... more

Every day, humans make multiple choices about what to eat. Some of those decisions will be better for our health... more

The British "caff" - slang for café, and home of the breakfast fry up, or "full english" - is under... more

What’s the best way to produce affordable food, that’s good for the planet, and can feed us all? Is it... more

Dark kitchens are the multi-block commercial units allowing virtual brands and events companies to prepare and deliver food. They’ve got... more

Long days, unsociable hours, a hectic and pressurised workload – the working environment for health care staff is full of... more

Anyone who has taken a photo of their plate in a restaurant knows how hard it is to make food... more

Facing the trauma of having to abandon your home because of war or climate change, how do you find solace... more

Humans have been accidentally feeding wild birds for millennia; any leftover food scraps to be scooped up by opportunistic, feathered... more

How do you make Michelin Star-level food, for hundreds of people, in a kitchen you just built in someone’s garden,... more

Food banks have operated for decades in North America and Europe. They are generally operated as non profits, connecting food... more

Spaghetti, penne, farfalle, gnocchi, lasagna – just a few of the 300-plus shapes of pasta in existence. And there are... more

Noma – considered by some to be the ‘world’s best restaurant’ - has announced it will close in 2024. The... more

To feed a child is fundamental to a parent, it’s instinct. But what if your baby can’t swallow?After receiving lots... more

Who wrote the cook books on your kitchen shelves? For many celebrity chefs, a cook book, or several, is an... more

Opera is viewed as something of an endurance sport in the musical world. Hours spent on stage, in costume, doing... more

Working as a chef can be creative and rewarding when people love your food, but it can also be demanding,... more

Why hold on to an old clay pot, a worn-out metal spoon, or a plain glass bowl? Earlier this... more

Ukrainian cookbook writer Olia Hercules reflects on why it's important to mark this festive season, and the traditional dishes she’ll... more

Can you imagine what you would miss if you lost the ability to eat? Swallowing is something most of us... more

2022 has seen record food prices. Many African countries have been badly hit because they import their staples –... more

Eggs – a nutritious and affordable source of protein. Or they were. The cost of a box of eggs has... more

Samuel Ikua is championing urban farming in his city, Nairobi in Kenya. Samuel undertook an urban farming course in... more

Food behind bars is not intended to be a Michelin-starred affair. But prison food reformers claim some of it is... more

How does sound influence the way we eat, drink and taste? We discover our hearing makes a bigger contribution to... more

In this programme we explore the realities of island diets. Ruth Alexander hears how diets are changing, and what this... more

All-you-can-eat restaurants are popular, as are high-end buffets at big weddings and posh hotels. But what’s the trick to... more

Today’s Sephardic Jewish community has its roots in Spain and Portugal. The Hispanic Jews lived for many centuries in those... more

What are the nutritional challenges, and the highs and lows of food in space? As NASA looks at creating a... more

Global food prices reached record highs this year due to a combination of factors including the war in Ukraine, rising... more

We may be living in a disposable age, but many of us probably own at least one hand-me-down pot, pan... more

Today’s seed industry is dominated by a handful of companies. Approximately 60% of the market is controlled by just four... more

Mental health is a hugely complex issue with many causes. There’s no simple answer, then, when it comes to therapies... more

Meet the flavourists – the people who bring together art and science to create the flavours in our food. Each... more

Food contamination is a serious public health problem around the world. The World Health Organisation estimates that 600 million –... more

Climate change means that, in many parts of the world, the way we farm is no longer working. We... more

Running a restaurant is hard enough, but what if there’s family involved? In this episode, Felicity Hannah explores the highs... more

Vegetable oil is one of many foods that has seen big price rises in the last year. Not only is... more

Water shortages are getting worse with climate change. In the Horn of Africa, long periods without a rainy season have... more

Meet the artists tasked with creating pictures that look good enough to eat. If it wasn’t for them, you might... more

Good quality nutrition is key to sporting success. But while plenty of research exists on the impact of nutrition on... more

Biofuels are a way to make our cars, lorries and even planes run on renewable fuel. They’re often made from... more

From tackling poverty and hunger, to maggot farming, to harnessing the power of seaweed - since 2017, The Food Chain... more

It’s not just fauna and flora, there’s a third, much overlooked kingdom of life – fungi. Fungi are essential... more

The internationally acclaimed poet and playwright Lemn Sissay OBE shares the story of his life by recalling five memorable dishes.... more

The menopause can cause all sorts of changes in your body – weight gain, hot flushes, sleeplessness and joint pain... more

Aeroplane food doesn’t have the greatest reputation. Though it might be easy to blame an airline for serving lacklustre meals,... more

Many chefs reach global status, with international demand for their latest book. Spare a thought for the translators, tasked with... more

As Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II marks 70 years on the throne, we find out how you get a royal... more

What do writers eat to stoke their creative fires? George Orwell is said to have had a penchant for... more