This episode continues our series of conversations taking us inside food science and it centres on the role of micronutrients as we age. For decades, medical scientists and the food industry have studied this microscopic world of vitamins, trace elements, amino acids, essential fatty acids and more in a bid to understand the true extent of the role they play in nutrition and health.   Dr Christina Mesch, a nutrition scientist and product manager at SternVitamin GmbH & Co. talks to Stefan about how we should approach the lifelong task of getting the right micronutrients in our diet and how they can benefit immune health and the prevention of  chronic disease.  Join them for an exploration into this fascinating area of nutrition science and find out how food innovation is helping to fortify key food and drinks to support the healthy ageing process.

This episode is all about green jobs. David Reay, Professor of Carbon Management and Education at the University of Edinburgh, and member of the UK Government's Green Jobs Taskforce speaks to Stefan from COP 26 in Glasgow, where the future of green jobs have been central to the discussions. The UK government has an ambition to create 2 million more green jobs over the next 9 years - part of the plan for an economy with zero fossil fuel emission. But, are we really ready for green jobs?  Join the conversation to explore what we actually mean by a green job and why all jobs in every sector will soon be seen through a ‘green lens.’ Hear how universities are moving to embed sustainability, net zero and climate change across their entire curriculum to benefit student learning outcomes and skills.  Plus, find out what types of green jobs are on offer across the food industry and why green skills and understanding sustainability are fundamental for a sustainable food future.

In Europe alone there are hundreds of protein brands and products, and millions of Euros-worth of sales of protein bars.  With this buoyant market growth, there’s a dilemma for every business entering this space - how do you cut through in such a crowded market? And, from the consumer side, how do you find a bar which is actually as delicious as the marketing? In this episode, Ivan Anton, Senior Development Specialist, and Floris Daamen, Marketing Manager for Performance and Active Nutrition from FrieslandCampina share their insights into the drivers behind the growth of protein, and how consumer attitudes are changing post COVID-19. With expertise ranging from low-protein to protein-plus solutions, they also explain why active nutrition, healthy ageing, digestive and immune health are major consumer trends influencing innovation in this dynamic category. The future is bright for high quality protein solutions at FrieslandCampina. Join them to hear how they are setting a new standard in innovative protein snacks.

In this episode, Stefan meets Norberto Chaclin, who is currently leading the Global Bakery Research, Development and Quality team at Mondelez International.  Mondelez International are behind some of the most well-known brands in snacks. Oreo, Belvita, Ritz and Cadbury’s just to name a few. The business has a significant growth aspiration to bring their brands to new markets and to new consumers and they do this through global innovation. In the global bakery research and development part of the business, Norberto and his team find themselves dealing with hundreds of innovation projects across the globe at any one time.  Tracking and measuring the success and impact of these projects is fundamental to the business being able to achieve the growth plans and the management of this on a global scale  is a complex, demanding, diverse and  fast-paced challenge. Norberto describes how Mondelez International has transitioned to create and implement a powerful data infrastructure that enables Mondelez International to track, analyse, measure and react to the success of global innovation projects - all through a collaborative, successful partnership with Sopheon.

The latest in the Careers Conversations series from Table Talk explores some of the secrets behind building a career in food communications and brand strategy. Sophie Caplan is a Flavours Communication Specialist at global flavour and fragrance manufacturer Givaudan. She studied English Language and Linguistics at university, during which time she started a personal food blog.  She describes how this personal interest spurred her on to find a company that aligned with her personal values - ultimately leading her to Givaudan.  She shares her journey to her dream job which now involves working with consumer insight experts and food technology teams all the way through to planning social media campaigns, photo shoots, video productions, podcasts and managing media. She is joined by Alex Ririe, Director at The Collaborators -  a specialist food and drink branding agency. Alex studied advertising management at university and went on to work in financial advertising. But, it was her passion for wine and spirits that has led her to be a successful specialist in food and drink brand strategy and storytelling. She is now a leading brand strategist and recognised industry speaker working with some of the most exciting food and drink brands in the sector. Hear their stories about what drew them to the food industry; how their personal values have shaped their career paths; why being a people person matters in food communications and how to stand out when applying for that first job.

In this episode, Stefan talks to Sarah and Geoff Yates, founders of Sea Arch - a distilled non-alcoholic spirit and 2021 winner of the prestigious Food Matters Live New Drink of the Year Award.  Building on their combined experience in the food industry - from pastry chef to wine bar owners - this enterprising couple share how they mastered flavour palettes, blended innovative botanicals on the kitchen table, and dug deep into technical and business know-how to introduce a brand new concept into a young, relatively unknown drinks category. Join the conversation to hear what they wish they’d known before starting out, how they overcame the pitfalls, hurdles and challenges of a young and unpredictable category, and the excitement they feel as they see their home grown Devon brand play a part on the global no alcohol stage.

Eat Just made history earlier this year, following a regulatory approval decision in Singapore for lab grown meat to be sold in a restaurant. System change needs to start somewhere, and this approval offers the potential to be the catalyst for changing the future of meat production and consumption and for cutting down on greenhouse gases, thus being more environmentally friendly. The 1880 restaurant in Singapore is the first restaurant in the world to have lab grown meat on their menu. The restaurant sells a trio of taster dishes using Eat Just cultured chicken: bao bun with crispy sesame cultured chicken and spring onion; filo puff pastry with cultured chicken and black bean puree; and a crispy maple waffle with cultured chicken with spices and hot sauce. In this episode, Stefan Gates is joined by visionary Josh Tetrick, Founder and CEO of Eat Just as they discuss what impact this approval process will have on the future of meat without animal slaughter,  the challenges of moving at scale, and why environment and health conscious Gen Z are key to taking cellular meat to the mainstream.

It’s been 8 years since the introduction of the UK’s front of pack traffic light system which was intended to offer consumers a simple guide for the nutritional value of the food that they are about to buy. With rising levels of obesity and a lack of consumer understanding, is it time for an alternative approach to food labelling?  In this episode  - brought to you in partnership with Danone -  Stefan Gates is joined by Rachel Bradford, Nutrition Policy Manager to talk through Danone’s Nutri Score System, which is their commitment to simplify front of pack nutritional information. Can this new system -  which is already available to consumers in France, Germany and Spain - succeed in enabling healthier consumer food choices across all areas of society?

If you want to know how cashew apples can be turned into beautiful burgers, or how the millions of tonnes of waste from coffee cherries can be turned into nutrient rich drinks, you will love this episode of Table Talk. Join the conversation to understand how the current relationship between sustainability and consumers is changing - and how an innovative, sustainable supply chain can deliver exciting, healthier, nutritious, traceable and safe food to satisfy changing consumer needs.

In this podcast we are joined by barley experts and enthusiasts EverGrain, an ingredients company supplying nutrient dense barley for plant-based products whilst delivering circularity in the food system. How can barley help formulators deliver higher protein and fibres to meet growing consumer demand? What unique role does barley play in supporting sustainability and circularity? 

The plant-based market is absolutely booming, with more and more consumers choosing plant-based foods and meat alternatives as they look to reduce their impact on the climate and improve their health. While the taste and texture of plant-based products has come on leaps and bounds in the past few years, is it still a barrier to some consumers who might make flexitarian choices otherwise? In this podcast we join the plant-based experts from Barentz, an ingredients company supplying plant based ingredients for plant based product concepts, to find out how brands can improve texture and taste of their products. What innovations are available for producers, and why is texture so important to our overall enjoyment of food? Host Stefan Gates is joined by Tracey Sanderson, Managing Director, Sensory Dimensions, Mariano Vasconcellos, Technical Director – Food, Barentz and Angela Whitney, Area Manager, Barentz to explore our senses and how they impact the popularity of plant-based products. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our panel Tracey Sanderson BSc, CSci, RSensSci Tracey is Managing Director at Sensory Dimensions where she has worked since 2010. In her role she supports clients across the food, personal care, home, and healthcare sectors to create successful products and packaging and maximise competitive advantage. Prior to Sensory Dimensions, Tracey worked at the University of Reading as a business advisor to the Life Sciences sector, and before that in Sensory and Consumer Science with RSSL/Cadbury and Leatherhead Food Research. Angela Whitney, Area Manager, Barentz Angela has worked for more than 30 years in the UK Food Industry for both manufacturers and for the last 17 years for a Food Ingredient Distribution business introducing a range of concepts and functional ingredients to market. With a degree in Agriculture and Plant Science she has spent most of her career in sales, product management and senior management roles. Mariano Vasconcellos, Technical Director – Food, Barentz Mariano Vasconcellos is Technical Director of Food at Barentz International and studied Food technology in the Netherlands. Mariano started his career at Unilever and conducted research on lipids and fat-replacers. He continued working at this multinational consumer goods company filling roles from Culinary Development manager to Global Savoury Development manager. After 15 years at Unilever, Mariano moved to HJ Heinz to work as their Technical Brand Manager. In August 2010 Mariano took on the role as Technical Director of Food at Barentz International in which he is now present for more than 11 years, being responsible for the application capabilities within the Barentz Group. Mariano has extensive knowledge about food technology and is a noteworthy industry expert when it comes to innovative and trend-setting solutions.

Last July, Mintel labelled collagen a ‘hero ingredient’, with the global market set to hit €828.6m by 2023. What is behind the growing consumer demand for supplements, and how is the trend for ‘beauty from within’ driving significant growth in the collagen market. This episode, in partnership with BioCell Technology, brings together a panel of experts to help explain how the demand for collagen has exploded, and why brands are looking at collagen instead of other products such as whey. Joining host Stefan Gates are Suhail Ishaq, President, BioCell Technology LLC Nathan Gray, Science and Technical Director, Collagen Stewardship Alliance and Rowena Thomson, Nutrition Science Communications Manager, Solgar International, The Bountiful Company. Together they’ll explain why self care is so important for consumers right now, especially following COVID-19, and how collagen can help support healthy ageing and overall wellbeing. About our panel Suhail Ishaq, President, BioCell Technology LLC Suhail Ishaq, President of BioCell Technology, is a business executive with over 25 years of experience in the nutraceutical industry. His in-depth knowledge of food, drug, and cosmetic research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance have made him one of the most sought‐after professionals in the dietary supplement industry. Suhail is an anti-aging pioneer and leading innovator with several patents surrounding hydrolyzed collagen type II, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid compositions for health and beauty. He's routinely quoted in trade and scientific publications internationally. Nathan Gray, Science and Technical Director, Collagen Stewardship Alliance Nathan Gray is an industry analyst and consultant with more than a decade of experience in the food and nutrition space and more than 15 years in media and science communication. An experienced communicator and strategic connector, Nathan brings with a wealth of experience and expertise in food technology, nutrition science and wellness trends. As an industry thought leader, he is passionate about innovation and scientific discovery in nutrition – and in particular the microbiome and sports nutrition categories. Nathan has a BSc Human Biosciences from the University of Plymouth, UK, where he specialised in exercise nutrition, immunology and science communication. After this he gained a postgraduate certification in Science and Environmental Journalism at the University of Lincoln, UK, where he worked on radio and TV productions in addition to online and print journalism. Rowena Thomson, Nutrition Science Communications Manager, Solgar International, The Bountiful Company  Rowena Thomson brings over 9 years of international expertise communicating science and health benefits at The Bountiful Company for the Solgar Brand. Her in-depth knowledge of food supplements, botanical ingredients and the consumer goods industry has supported award-winning innovation launches, business-to-business educational programmes and helps communicate complex and technical information to distributors, retailers and commercial teams.

When you think of Japanese food it’s unlikely that you’d think of plant-based meat alternatives. With a diet rich in fish and meat you’re more likely to think of Wagyu beef or some freshly made sushi delicacy, however the scene in Japan is changing thanks to food-tech start-ups like Next Meats. With products like the NEXT Egg 1.0, a dairy-free egg product, and the NEXT Yakiniku barbecue meat alternative products the company is looking to deliver tasty meat and dairy alternatives to the world from Japan. On this episode we’re joined by Saaya Matsukubo, US Area Manager, Next Meat, who will explain the rich plant-based culture that has existed in Japan for a long time,  how the market for plant-based meat alternatives is growing there, and their ambitions for global expansion for their brand. Join us to hear how Japan might be the perfect location for the next explosion of plant-based innovation. About Next Meats Next Meats Co, the alternative meat venture company from Tokyo, is known for commercialising the world's first vegan Japanese barbecue meat analogues—the NEXT Yakiniku series, as well as the NEXT Gyudon, which is a vegan simulation of the traditional Japanese beef bowl. Based in Tokyo, Next Meats is a food-tech venture company that specialises in the research and development of Japanese-style alternative meat products. Its journey of product development began in 2017, and the company was officially established in June of 2020. In December 2020 they announced their partnership with Toyota- Tsusho Corporation, and was listed on the American OTCBB in January of 2021. The company is currently rapidly expanding their presence to over 9 countries. They plan to research various types of alternative proteins in the future and aim to replace all animal meats by 2050.

In this episode we cast our eyes toward Singapore, home of a rapidly growing food and agri-tech sector. Why is food tech booming in Singapore? What start-ups are disrupting the future of food in the region? What is making investors so excited when it comes to innovation in the country? Join us to find out! From pioneering cellular meat tech to plant-based innovation centres, we'll discover why Singapore has proven such a fertile ground for next-gen solutions to the challenges our food systems face. Providing their unique insight and perspective are Dilys Boey, Assistant CEO, Enterprise Singapore and Andrew Ive, Founder, Big Idea Ventures. They'll explain the reasons why Singapore is leading the way on food and agri tech and what exciting things are coming from the investment that's being made in the country. About our panel Dilys Boey, Assistant CEO, Enterprise Singapore Ms Dilys Boey is Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Singapore, overseeing industry development of the Lifestyle & Consumer, Food and AgriTech sectors. Enterprise Singapore is the government agency championing enterprise development. The agency works with committed companies to build capabilities, innovate and internationalise. It also supports the growth of Singapore as a hub for global trading and startups, and builds trust in Singapore’s products and services through quality and standards. Prior to joining Enterprise Singapore, Dilys was a Partner and ASEAN People Advisory Services Leader at Ernst & Young (EY) and has over 25 years of management consulting experience working with corporations and the public sector on people, culture and organisation priorities. Andrew Ive, Founder, Big Idea Ventures Founder / GP of Big Idea Ventures, a Fund Manager focused on Solving the World's Greatest Challenges by Backing the World's Best Entrepreneurs. Building US & Asia based Funds and Businesses to dramatically improve the world. Investor, Speaker, Writer, Business Leader. Focused on investing in companies which have the potentially to have a global impact on Climate Change, Conversation, Food Waste, Plastics and Water in the Food Supply Chain, Animal Welfare and Personal Health. We need to flatten the curve of Climate Change - it's a Global Imperative.

When you think of plant protein you immediately think of vegan food, right? Yet plant protein is also being used to make meat products healthier and more sustainable. Producing animal protein requires considerably more resources than plant protein. Using plants to enhance the meat most people already enjoy is a great way to reduce the meat products’ carbon footprint. In this episode of Table Talk we join Paul Shapiro, CEO, The Better Meat Company, to discover how plant protein can be used effectively in meat products as well as in 100% plant-based applications. “If you contemplate that the best tasting frozen chicken nugget in America is only 50% chicken, just imagine what we could do if every chicken manufacturer in the country were utilising these products,” said Paul Shapiro, co-founder and CEO of The Better Meat Co. “We’re using a combination of plant protein, fibre, fat and flavours that when combined in proprietary ways help to seamlessly blend directly into meat and improve on taste. That’s the real key for us. We are not subtracting from taste or texture. We’re actually enhancing it.” Join us for a fascinating look at how plant protein is being used in new and innovative ways to increase sustainability on Table Talk. Paul Shapiro, CEO, The Better Meat Company Paul Shapiro is the author of the national bestseller Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World (published by Simon & Schuster's Gallery Books in 2018). He's also the CEO of The Better Meat Co., a four-time TEDx speaker, the host of the Business for Good Podcast, and a long-time leader in food sustainability. He's been interviewed by hundreds of news outlets from CNN to StarTalk Radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson as an authority on food and agriculture sustainability. He’s also published hundreds of articles in publications ranging from daily newspapers like the Washington Post to pop-sci publications like Scientific American to magazines like FORTUNE to academic journals.

In the latest in a series of episodes focused on Net Zero, and its impact on food industry manufacturers, producers and retailers, we join Aditi Sen, Policy Lead at Oxfam to find out whether the focus on net zero is distracting us from the priority of cutting emissions to reduce our impact on the environment. Aditi co-authored Oxfam’s ‘Tightening the Net’ report which discovered that many governments are hiding behind unreliable, unrealistic and unproven carbon removal schemes to meet their 2050 goals. Is net zero causing more of a distraction than a help as we address climate change? Join host Stefan Gates as he chats to Aditi, and discovers the detail and research that has gone into Oxfam’s report, and what can be done next to effect real change.  About Aditi Sen Aditi Sen, Policy Lead, Oxfam Working at the intersection of climate change, sustainability, and international development and advancing equity in climate solutions. Broad experience in policy analysis and advocacy, program design and management, and working with a diverse range of stakeholders. About the Tightening the Net report Oxfam’s report Tightening the Net says that too many governments and corporations are hiding behind unreliable, unproven and unrealistic ’carbon removal’ schemes in order to claim their 2050 climate change plans will be ‘net zero’.  Their sudden rush of ‘net zero’ promises are relying too much on vast swathes of land to plant trees in order to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. At the same time, they are failing to cut emissions quickly or deeply enough to avert catastrophic climate breakdown.  To limit warming below 1.5°C and prevent irreversible damage from climate change, the world collectively should be on track to reduce carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 from 2010 levels, with the sharpest cuts being made by the biggest emitters. Countries’ current plans to cut emissions are nowhere near, totalling around 1 per cent reduction in global emissions by 2030 according to the most recent stocktake.  The climate crisis is already devastating agriculture globally. It is driving worsening humanitarian crises, hunger and migration. People living in poverty, particularly women farmers and Indigenous people, are being affected first and worst. It is undermining efforts to tackle poverty around the world.  Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, said: “Too many companies and governments are hiding behind the smokescreen of ‘net zero’ to continue dirty business-as-usual activities.  “A prime example of the doublethink we are seeing is the oil and gas sector trying to justify its ongoing extraction of fossil fuels by promising unrealistic carbon removal schemes that require ludicrous amounts of land.  “Net zero targets are vital to tackling climate change. Some governments and companies are taking bold action to cut carbon emissions but there are currently too few to give us a realistic chance of averting climate catastrophe and the widespread hunger and devastation that come with it.  “The UK Government needs to be a credible broker for a deal that can stop the planet overheating when it hosts the COP26 climate talks in November – so it is imperative that it stops licensing new oil and gas in the North Sea, including a possible new oilfield near the Shetland Islands.”

Over 3,100 listeners from across the world of food, nutrition and health joined the Table Talk community in August, and in a stellar month on the podcast we unpacked some of the most important challenges for food, drink, diet, sustainability and nutrition. The top trending Table Talk episodes in August included a look at how Edlong are perfecting their plant-based cheese flavours by incorporating regional tastes and nuances, how the latest research is exploding some important myths about the health benefits of intermittent fasting, and how the food industry can come together to achieve net zero by 2040, ten years ahead of national targets. Each week Table Talk connects you to the key thinkers and change-makers from food and drink, sharing future trends and giving you a glimpse of the science-backed research that will shape how we eat. Follow on Apple, Spotify or your preferred platform to hear each new episode each week and join a community of more than 75,000 food industry professionals getting a head start on future trends with Table Talk.

In the second of our Behind the Brand series, we catch up with Food Matters Live Awards Innovative natural and organic product of the year winner, Melligel, and find out how the brand behind it, Mellifera, has created a sports nutrition supplement from organic honey.  What motivated them to head down this path, and what are the potentials for organic honey within the sports nutrition sector? Join the conversation on Table Talk to find out. About MelliGEL by Mellifera Ltd. Carbohydrate is needed to fuel almost every type of activity as the amount of glycogen has a direct effect on physical and mental performance. Organic honey with its predominantly carb content is first class source used from the time of the first Olympian runners of the ancient Greece. Nowadays, there is numerous scientific documents and evidence that honey is the perfect fuel to consume before exercise in order to achieve both fast energy and endurance. MelliGEL is the first 100% organic certified energy gel, which is also certified by Informed Sport as a product suitable for professional athletes. It’s all natural and raw food based on pure honey, herbal extracts, and superfoods which deliver the flavor – Raspberry, Spirulina, GingerCherry, Matcha, Guarana, CacaoMint, or Strawberry. MelliGEL provides the much needed energy for athletes and active people without the burden of any chemicals, GMO, and artificial additives. In addition, it stimulates immunity as honey and the other ingredients are bursting with enzymes, polyphenols, minerals, antioxidants, and adaptogens. Immediately after its launch in its home country (Bulgaria) it was recognized by the Bulgarian Tennis Federation as main sport nutrition for the national teams of professional tennis players. Acknowledgment of the Official partnership can be seen on https://bgtennis.bg/.

What are the leading global food and agtech scenes? In this episode of Table Talk we join experts from the food and agtech investment community to shed some light on how countries are helping to support innovation and disruption and find out what is the secret to success. Joining host Stefan Gates are Christian Guba, Associate, Atlantic Foods Ivan Farneti, Co-Founder, Five Seasons Ventures and Nadav Berger, Founder & Managing Director, Peakbridge VC. Join the conversation to find out what different countries are doing to nurture food and agtech start-ups in this fascinating look at the future of food. About our panel Christian Guba, Associate, Atlantic Foods Christian is an Investor with Atlantic Food Labs, an early-stage VC Fund & Venture Studio based in Berlin. Atlantic Food Labs invests in ambitious and mission-driven startups along the entire food value chain and has backed companies such as Gorillas, Formo, Mushlabs or Infarm. Christian gained a Master in Management from HHL Leipzig and before joining Atlantic Food Labs he worked with btov Partners, BCG Digital Ventures, and Google. Ivan Farneti, Co-Founder, Five Seasons Ventures Ivan has been an active venture capital investor for the last 20 years and he is the co-founding Partner of Five Seasons Ventures, the first European venture fund fully focused on Foodtech. He is passionate about product and technology innovation aimed at solving big challenges in the food industry: from alternative sources of proteins, to functional foods, from new models of food distribution to the reduction of food waste. At Five Seasons he invested in gene editing company Tropic Biosciences, pet nutrition company Butternut Box and three more companies yet to be announced. His experience from previous venture funds in London, includes structuring venture investments, organisational and strategy development, setting up governance for growth and planning for successful exits. He was an early stage investor in Everbridge, Inc. (Nasdaq: EVBG), Tridion BV (acquired by SDL Plc), Gomez, Inc. (acquired by Compuware), Plazes AG (acquired by Nokia), among others. In his spare time he enjoys family life, cooking, fly fishing, and practicing karate and jiu jitsu with his son Adam Nadav Berger, Founder & Managing Director, Peakbridge VC Coming from a Third generation food industrialist family , Nadav has actively built many companies specialising in food applications, marketing and distribution. In 2008, Nadav co-founded the food applications lab FoodLab. The innovative developments at FoodLab lead to founding FoodLab Capital, a premier seed fund. The successful portfolio includes DouxMatok, InnovoPro, NextFerm and SimpleOrder (exited). After that Nadav co-founded and is the managing Partner of PeakBridge, a fund manager managing NEWtrition (Nick's, TasteWise, Prenexus, UKKO..)– a series A+ Global fund for FoodTech and FoodSparks® – the 1st. European seed fund with collaboration with the EIT Food. Nadav holds a B.A in economics and political science from Tel Aviv University and an EMBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management.

In this new series we get personal with the people behind the brands, with the debut episode focusing on Beau’s Gelato. We join Co-Founder and CEO Joseph Eyre to find out how two partners with no previous experience in the food industry, one with a background in nursing the other in finance, came to start an award winning plant-based gelato brand. We discuss what made them take the plunge and start a business in an industry that was so alien to them, what fuels their passion and what comes next as they scale their brand. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About Beau’s Gelato Beau’s Gelato was born out of our shared passion for travel, discovery and – most importantly – great food. Prior to setting up Beau’s we travelled extensively, searching high and low for vegan dishes that were good enough to write home about. Along the way, we were lucky enough to meet many incredible artisans doing amazing things with vegan ingredients. Inspired, we decided we would go back and craft our own contribution to the plant-based world: a fantastic vegan ice cream that everyone could indulge in and feel great about. At the time that we made our decision, the vegan wave was still very much in its infancy. In stark contrast to all the exciting and interesting plant-based foods that we tasted on our travels, the scant options and bland fare that was available to us back in the UK left us cold. We could see that vegan food was being grossly undersold – and wanted to do something about it. With backgrounds in nursing and finance, there was a huge learning curve for us to go through before we could make a product as good as those we’d sampled abroad. Keen to learn more, we reached out to the former owner of a highly successful vegan ice cream parlour which operated in New York, who helped us to refine our initial development and recipe research, as well as providing valuable commercial advice for starting out. From all of this emerged Beau’s Gelato: an authentic Italian-style ice cream made without any animal products. In keeping with the Italian heritage we learnt in Bologna, we created many of the classic household flavours that everyone knows and loves. Beau’s Gelato were the 2021 Food Matters Live Awards Plant Based Product of the Year winner.

Healthy soil is full of living organisms that help to generate the nutrients crops need to grow. But many conventional farming practices inadvertently degrade soil health over time, which in turn can reduce crop yields. Regenerative Agriculture aims to capture carbon in soil and aboveground biomass, reversing current global trends of atmospheric accumulation. At the same time, it offers increased yields, resilience to climate instability, and higher health and vitality for farming and ranching communities. To explore regenerative agriculture and to find out the impact it could have on our environment, we once again, in partnership with Anglo American, join experts in the field to share their insight and experience. We speak to Ross Mitchell, Head of Agronomy and Technical Services, Anglo American Crop Nutrients and Paul Davey, seventh generation farmer and conservation agriculture contractor. Find out how we can regenerate our agriculture to improve sustainability in the future. About our panel Ross Mitchell, Head of Agronomy and Technical Services, Anglo American Crop Nutrients Ross runs a global agronomy team overseeing the development of POLY4 in support of the company’s commercial contracts. With over 30-years experience, Ross has a wide spectrum of knowledge of agricultural practices ranging from the research of nutrient and pesticide dynamics in soil to seed production. Before joining Anglo American, Ross specialised for eight years in sugar production – initially for large and smallholder farmers in China followed by large new farms in North Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Paul Davey, Farmer Paul Davey is a seventh generation farmer and conservation agriculture contractor. His wife manages their wholesale distribution and retail business which specialises in food, drinks and homeware made in Lincolnshire, UK. They run a shop in Lincoln which has an online home delivery service. The farm specialises in seed production growing cereals, oilseeds, grass seeds and pulses, including vining peas for Birds Eye. A lambing flock of Lleyn ewes is run in conjunction with the arable enterprises and the farm pursues a strategy of healthy soils producing heathy plants and healthy food. Paul was a finalist in the Soil Farmer of the Year competition 2019.

Intermittent fasting has been accepted for many years as a fast and effective way to lose weight, in fact Michael Moseley has published a number of best sellers on the 5:2 diet. However, a new and recently published study looks at the effects of fasting and lower energy intake in lean people. This podcast will explore the results of the study and what this means for our understanding of the success of intermittent fasting as a weight loss tool. "Ultimately, fasting did result in weight loss in our experiment, so it is true to say that it was an effective approach in that regard," said James Betts, professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom and senior author of the new study. "However, we can confidently say it was not better than standard dieting in achieving that outcome and there were no other benefits specific to fasting within the context of our study." In this episode of Table Talk we speak to Professor James Betts to find out about the study, and what it means for our understanding of nutrition, weight loss and health. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About Professor James Betts James Betts, Professor of Metabolic Physiology, University of Bath, Co-Director, Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism, Chair of the Department for Health Research Ethics Committee James is Professor of Metabolic Physiology at the University of Bath, where he is Co-Director of the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise & Metabolism and Chair of the Department for Health Research Ethics Committee. His research employs randomised controlled trials to study the effects of nutrition on metabolic regulation, the findings of which have been published in scientific papers in top-ranking scholarly journals. A particular focus of his work has been to examine the links between nutrient timing and human health, for which James was awarded the Nutrition Society Cuthbertson Medal at the Royal Society of Medicine for 'excellence in clinical nutrition and metabolism research'. James contributes widely within the University, having supervised many doctoral students through their research training; his integration of research into teaching was recognised by the University's Mary Tasker Award for excellence in teaching.

The UN has described our degradation of soil being 'as important as climate change' yet soil is often overlooked when we talk about the threats to future generations. It's easy to degrade soil quickly, but not easy to repair the damage that is caused so what can be done to protect our precious resource for agriculture in the future? To find out we've assembled a panel of experts including Caroline Drummond, CEO, LEAF, Carl Edwards, Director of Education and Public Engagement, LEAF, and Dr Felicity Crotty, Lecturer in Soil Science, Royal Agricultural University. We'll discuss the scale of the challenge we face, what is happening now to raise awareness of the issues we're facing, and what we can do to fix our agriculture system. Join us for a fascinating and lively debate on Table Talk. About our panel Caroline Drummond, CEO, LEAF Caroline Drummond has been Chief Executive of LEAF since it started in 1991. After graduating in Agriculture she worked on farms in the UK and overseas before joining LEAF. She was awarded an MBE for services to the agricultural industry in 2009 and has a Doctor of Science honoris causa (Hon DSc) from Harper Adams University. Caroline is a CHAP Board member, a Nuffield Scholar and Honorary Fellow for the Society of the Environment. Carl Edwards – LEAF Education & Public Engagement Director Carl leads LEAF’s ambitious education and public engagement strategy that is enabling schools to enrich their curriculum and increase public understanding of our modern farming industry. Carl is ensuring that the agricultural industry listens to the voice of young people in shaping how we work with our future generation; being at the forefront of promoting an understanding of the Agricultural industry by teenagers, a long-overlooked audience. Previously, Carl was an Assistant Principal and completed his Master of Education degree at the University of Cambridge in 2014, which focused on improving literacy and attainment for Geography students at GCSE level. Carl was made a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts in 2018 in light of his commitment to sustainability and creating opportunities for greater engagement between communities, farming and the countryside. Dr Felicity Crotty, Lecturer in Soil Science, Royal Agricultural University Dr Felicity Crotty has been researching soil biology and soil health for the last twelve years. Felicity joined the Royal Agricultural University as a Lecturer in Soil Science and Ecology in 2018. She is a soil ecologist working with the aim of promoting soil health and sustainable agriculture and is particularly interested in investigating how agricultural management effects soil quality, focusing on soil biology (earthworms, springtails, mites and nematodes), physics (compaction and water infiltration) and chemistry (N, P, K and other nutrients). Through combining her expertise in all three areas of soil science she is trying to disentangle the real impact different management strategies have on soil health and farming sustainably. Felicity has current projects investigating the use of AI to identify earthworm casts, using sensors to detect earthworm movements in the field and monetising soil health. Felicity previously worked as the Soil Scientist at the Allerton Project (Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust) working on the Sustainable Intensification Research Platform (SIP), SoilCare project (EU Horizon 2020), and Soil Biology & Soil Health Partnership (AHDB). Prior to this, she was a Post-doc at Aberystwyth University working on the PROSOIL and SUREROOT projects; she spent a year as a Post-Doc in Canada at Dalhousie University (Halifax) and Saskatchewan University (Saskatoon), experimenting on the fungal feeding channel within the soil food web. She obtained her PhD at Rothamsted Research (North Wyke) investigating the passage of carbon and nitrogen through the soil food web. 

The UK Government has committed to going 'net zero' by 2050. In practice this means getting rid of as many emissions as we produce. This can be achieved through removing harmful emissions as much as possible and in the instances where we still rely on fossil fuels, offsetting the emissions we produce. In the second of a series of podcasts focused on net zero, we rejoin the Food and Drink Federation to hear about the roadmap they've published that shows the food and drink industry could hit net zero by 2050, and find out how this will impact manufacturers. Joining host Stefan Gates once again is Emma Piercy, Head of Climate Change & Energy Policy - FDF, and this time we also speak to Matt Loose, Chief Executive & Founder, Canopy Consulting. Join us to hear the scope of the challenge ahead, how it creates opportunities for food brands, and what the government needs to do to help support food and drink brands on their journey to net zero. About our guests Emma Piercy, Head of Climate Change & Energy Policy - FDF Emma joined FDF in October 2019 to lead the Food and Drink Federation’s work programme in Climate Change and Energy. With the UK’s target of net zero by 2050, Emma is currently focused on decarbonising heat in the manufacturing process, to feed into Government’s forthcoming Energy White Paper and Heat Decarbonisation Roadmap. Before joining FDF, Emma held a number of policy and regulation roles in the energy sector covering: RWE AG; RWE Npower Cogen; Elexon; Sustainable Energy Association; First Utility (now Shell Energy) and National Grid Gas. Matt Loose, Chief Executive & Founder, Canopy Consulting Matt helps clients make bold strategic decisions to transform sustainability outcomes. He helps organisations set inspiring sustainability ambitions and guides teams on the path to implement. He helps organisations engage and communicate with stakeholders to scale impacts. Matt has advised leading organisations and multistakeholder initiatives across sectors to design, engage with and implement strategies to transform outcomes on the most urgent sustainability issues. Previously Matt was Senior Director at SustainAbility and a co-owner of Stratos. He’s worked in sustainability for Johnson Matthey and Ernst & Young. He’s a member of ACCA’s Global Sustainability Forum.

The traditional foods we love often have regional differences that make them unique. For example, the cheddar cheese you buy from your local supermarket may have a completely different flavour profile from the one you’d find in a sandwich in a pub in Ireland. These subtle differences can greatly impact our enjoyment of food, and flavour experts are applying this knowledge to create innovative and delicious plant-based dairy to meet a growing consumer demand. Joining us to explain how are the experts from Edlong, a global flavour house with offices around the world. With over 100 years of experience in the dairy market, and over four decades of plant-based dairy expertise, they’re perfectly positioned to explain how regional nuances and flavours can affect our enjoyment of plant-based dairy products. We’ll discuss all aspects of plant-based cheese, and host Stefan Gates gets the chance to sample some of the products and flavours they’ve developed. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our guests Julie Drainville, Sensory Manager Julie Drainville leads all sensory functions for Edlong globally, maintaining a trained employee panel for sensory testing, and also collaborating with applications scientists and customers to run testing to meet project needs. Julie has an extensive background in food science including over 14 years in the sensory field, a degree from Purdue University in Foods, Nutrition and Business/Dietetics, a Master of Science in Nutrition Education from Rosalind Franklin University, and completion of the UC Davis Applied Sensory and Consumer Science Certificate Program. Laura Enriquez, Master Scientist. Strategic Applications Laura Enriquez is adept at understanding customer needs and applying her 30+ years of extensive technical expertise in food science to develop solutions to formulation challenges, increase the speed of product development and shorten the sales cycle to customers. She works closely with customers in the U.S., Latin America and Europe and works with and mentors the applications team in tailoring customer-specific applications to deliver value, cost savings and create great tasting food. Laura has a degree from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City) in Food Science and Nutrition. Rick Schultz, Master Flavorist, Strategic Product Development Rick is a highly accomplished Master Flavorist responsible for leading all aspects of new flavor development, dairy flavor technology and innovation at Edlong. With over 40 years of industry experience, Rick’s areas of focus include enzyme and culture technology, encapsulation and delivery systems, flavor cost optimization, flavor performance analysis, masking and mouthfeel. Rick previously held technical roles at Kraft Foods, John Sexton and Miles Laboratories.

Some of the largest ingredients companies are leading the way with food and drink innovations that will feed the future. In this special edition of the Table Talk podcast we look back to conversations we've had with Cargill, Gelita, Givaudan and Ÿnsect to find out how they're developing the flavours to support consumer trends. Find out why insect protein could be the future of sports nutrition, how e-sports athletes are gaining an edge through supplements, how umami can be harnessed to improve flavour and what challenges still need to be conquered in order to expand the world of dairy alternatives as host Stefan Gates joins the leading names from the ingredients world. About our guests Antoine Hubert, Chairman & CEO, Ÿnsect Antoine is Ÿnsect’s Chairman and CEO. He also leads the cooperative insect industry association, the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) and is Board Member of Protéine France consortium and LFD. Prior to co-founding Ÿnsect, Antoine worked on scientific projects in environmental risk assessment, biomass and plastics recycling. He is an agronomy engineer graduate from AgroCampus-Ouest and AgroParisTech. Together with Alexis, he co-founded NPO WORGAMIC and the company ORGANEO. Franziska Dolle, Gelita Franziska Dolle (M.Sc.) is a nutritional scientist and an expert for collagen peptides, who is always focused on and passionate about empowering people to improve their nutritional and active lifestyle. Her goal is to implement population-wide health promotion concepts and effective measures for disease prevention. In pursuit of this goal, she examined the importance of protein intake to prevent sarcopenia – the muscle loss in the elderly. For the last five years Franziska has co-created and implemented innovative lifestyle nutrition products with Bioactive Collagen Peptides®. In “The White Tissue” guide from GELITA she presents the new role of proteins in Sports Nutrition. At GELITA AG Germany Franziska Dolle is Product & Account Manager Health & Nutrition. In this role she is in charge of New Business Development and Global Product Management for the brands BODYBALANCE®, FORTIBONE® and CURADERM®. As Account Manager she is responsible for sales of GELITA’s collagen peptides in Northern Europe and Germany. Nicole Oelhafen, Senior Project Manager for Consumer Sensory Insights EAME, Givaudan Nicole joined Givaudan in 2004 as Sensory Panel Leader; in 2015 she became Consumer Sensory Project Manager for EAME. She helps to translate consumer insights into actionable concepts and solutions, bringing the voice of the consumer into the heart of the business. She holds a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences and German Literature & Linguistics from the University of Zurich. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, cooking, and exploring nature. She is based in the Givaudan Zürich Innovation Center in Switzerland. Matthias Bourdeau, Marketing Manager Texturizers, Cargill Starches, Sweeteners and Texturizers Europe Working for the Nielsen Company and other research agencies, Matthias gained over 10 years of experience in consulting packaged food and beverage manufacturers across Europe and Africa on marketing their products in retail. Since joining Cargill’s Starches, Sweeteners and Specialties Business Marketing team three years ago, he supports new product launches and drives marketing campaigns, with a specific focus on dairy alternatives and meat alternatives. He is passionate about consumer research and market positioning. Matthias is based in Belgium and is a proud new dad.

One year ago Table Talk Podcast host Stefan Gates sat down with members of the food industry and the UK government to hear about the new strategy that was intended to tackle a growing obesity epidemic in the country. One year on, what impact have the measures had, what will be adapted for the future, and is the strategy working? Joining us to dissect the benefits of the UK obesity strategy, and to find out what further changes will be needed if we’re to become a healthier country in the future, are Dr. Jennifer Dixon, CEO, Health Foundation and Anna Tayler, Executive Director, Food Foundation. Join us for a fascinating and lively discussion to see where we’re going wrong in our efforts to improve our health and wellbeing. About our guests Dr Jennifer Dixon, CEO, Health Foundation Dr Jennifer Dixon joined the Health Foundation as Chief Executive in October 2013. Jennifer was Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust from 2008 to 2013. Prior to this, she was Director of Policy at The King’s Fund and was the policy advisor to the Chief Executive of the National Health Service between 1998 and 2000. Jennifer has undertaken research and written widely on health care reform both in the UK and internationally. Originally trained in medicine, Jennifer practised mainly paediatric medicine, prior to a career in policy analysis. She has a Master’s in public health and a PhD in health services research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In 1990– 91, Jennifer was a Harkness Fellow in New York. Jennifer has served as a Board member on several national regulatory bodies: the Health Care Commission 2004–2009; the Audit Commission 2003–2012; and the Care Quality Commission 2013–2016. She has led two national inquiries for government: on the setting up of published ratings of quality of NHS and social care providers in England (2013); and on the setting up of ratings for general practices (2015). She was also a member of the Parliamentary Review Panel for the Welsh Assembly Government advising on the future strategy for the NHS and social care in Wales (2017–2018). In 2009, Jennifer was elected a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and in 2019 was elected as a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. She was awarded a CBE for services to public health in 2013, and a Doctor of Science from Bristol University in 2016. She has held visiting professorships at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the London School of Economics, and Imperial College Business School. Anna Taylor, Executive Director, Food Foundation Anna joined the Food Foundation as its first Executive Director at the beginning of June 2015 after 5 years at the Department for International Development. At DFID Anna led the policy team on nutrition and supported the delivery of the UK’s global commitments to tackle undernutrition. Before joining DFID Anna worked for a number of international organisations including Save the Children and UNICEF and has been at the forefront of international leadership on nutrition for several years and supporting programmes in a wide range of contexts in Africa and South Asia. Anna has also worked for the UK Department of Health. In 2014 she was awarded an OBE for her work to address the global burden of undernutrition. She did a MSc in Human Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1994. In May 2017 Anna became a member of the London Food Board to advise the Mayor of London and the GLA on the food matters that affect Londoners. She is a Board member for the Emergency Nutrition Network, the International Food Policy Research Institute based in Washington DC, Veg Power and Biteback 2030. She is currently serving as Chief Independent Adviser to Henry Dimbleby for the development of the National Food Strategy.

Do you understand what the various health claims on food packaging actually mean for your nutrition? If not, you’re not alone. Food health claims can be confusing to shoppers and manufacturers alike, with regulations muddying the waters and consumers in different countries being skeptical around the claims brands make. How can the health claims on food be simplified, in a way that is transparent and understandable for everyone? Joining host Stefan Gates this week is Professor of Sociolinguistics, Rodney Jones from the University of Reading. Funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, Rodney is the lead of the Health Claims Unpacked project, which is looking at how language around health claims can be improved to make them more appealing and understandable. Why do Italian consumers prefer to buy products with no health claims, why do some manufacturers in France simply not bother to use them, and how do linguistics affect our impression of the benefits of the food we eat? Join the conversation on Table Talk to find out.  About Professor Rodney Jones Rodney Jones, Professor of Sociolinguistics, Head of Department, University of Reading Rodney's main areas of interest are discourse analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, and language and digital media. He is particularly interested in how digital media affect the way people conduct social interactions and manage social identities. For the past two decades he has been involved with the late Professor Ron Scollon and other colleagues in developing an approach to discourse called mediated discourse analysis, the principles of which are laid out in his 2005 book with Sigrid Norris Discourse in Action: Introducing mediated discourse analysis. He has applied this approach to a range of contexts including health and risk communication, classroom discourse, professional communication, computer mediated communication, and language and creativity. Rodney has authored/edited twelve books and over fifty journal articles and book chapters.

The global ice cream market is expected to hit $75bn by 2024 and to maintain growth brands are constantly having to innovate new recipes and flavours, while responding to changing consumer demands prompted by challenges including Covid-19 and climate change. Is changing consumer demand leading to a surge in plant-based, healthier and more sustainable ice cream? To find out we’re joined by the true experts in the field, Tetra Pak and Mintel. Tetra Pak equipment and lines are responsible for the production of as much as 50% of the world’s ice cream, and Mintel are the world’s leading market intelligence agency tracking consumer opinions and trends to develop an understanding of what consumers want and why.  About our guests Torben Vilsgaard, Ice Cream Academy Manager, Tetra Pak Torben Vilsgaard is Ice Cream Academy Manager at Tetra Pak, the leading producer of ice cream equipment. In this role, Torben focuses on performance and quality. His work entails starting up the Academy, where he plans and executes training within the Ice Cream business unit and channels to market, thus driving, creating and maintaining knowledge build-up. Regina Haydon, Global Food and Drink Analyst, Mintel Regina Haydon is Global Food and Drink Analyst at research company Mintel. In this role, she provides best-in-class client service through deliverables that meet and/or help develop her clients’ business objectives across a broad range of FMCG categories in Europe and globally.

In this day and age we’ve got apps for everything - travel, making new connections, and of course to help us improve our mental and physical health and well-being. With research showing how important gut health is to mental and physical health, will digital apps to improve your gut health be the next in your download queue? Our guest on this podcast, our second in a series focused on mHealth, certainly thinks so. We’re joined by André Sommer, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Cara Care. Andre will explain why personalised gut health insight is so important, how it can help improve our health, and what the future could look like in the mHealth space. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our guest André Sommer, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Cara Care Cara Care is a Berlin-based HealthTech startup, founded in 2016 by Andre Sommer, Dankrad Feist, Jesaja Brinkmann and Orest Tarasiuk. The business is run by a team of nutritionists, psychologists and other medical experts helping to create a truly holistic, specialist approach to gut health. Individuals are assessed thoroughly for their condition, their symptoms and their goals, all of which helps Cara Care to tailor a personalised plan that works for the user. Cara Care also provide a holistic approach to gut health, not only focusing on nutrition but also offering audio-guided hypnosis, elimination and reintroduction diet plans, food lists and recipes, emotional and behavioural exercises and more. So far, Cara Care have raised a total funding amount of $9 million over the course of 5 funding rounds. Their latest round, a Series A, was announced in June 2019, and raised $7 million.

The UK Government National Food Strategy, led by Henry Dimbleby the founder of restaurant chain Leon, has submitted a set of recommendations to help the nation become healthier, reduce obesity and become more sustainable. Will the strategy form the foundation of a healthier future? Or do we need to look deeper at key issues that face our dysfunctional food system? The Table Talk Podcast has spoken to the leading voices in the country to find out how we can fix our broken food system, and build a secure future. In this episode we look back to conversations with Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London’s Centre for Food Policy, Jo Churchill MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care, Chris Venables, Head of Politics, Green Alliance and Dr Michael Clark, Researcher, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford to discuss the scale of the problems the UK faces, what the government proposes to do to fix them, and whether meat and dairy consumption needs to be dramatically reduced in order to meet climate targets. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our guests Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy at City University London’s Centre for Food Policy Tim Lang has been Professor of Food Policy at City University London’s Centre for Food Policy since 2002. He founded the Centre in 1994. After a PhD in social psychology at Leeds University, he became a hill farmer in the 1970s in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire which shifted his attention to food policy, where it has been ever since. For years, he’s engaged in academic and public research and debate about its direction, locally to globally. His abiding interest is how policy addresses the mixed challenge of being food for the environment, health, social justice, and citizens. What is a good food system? How is ours measured and measuring up? His current research interests are (a) sustainable diets, (b) the meaning of modern food security and (c) the implications of Brexit for the food system. Jo Churchill MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care Jo Churchill was brought up in East Anglia and, before moving to Suffolk two years ago, lived and worked in the rural county of Lincolnshire, with her husband and four daughters. Her early career started in retail for both regional and global brands and led her into site development and the building industry. Since 1994, she has run two successful contracting companies. In July 2016, she was elected, with joint highest nominations to join the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).  In July 2016, she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Rt Hon Mike Penning MP, Minister of State for Armed Forces.  In 2017, she was appointed PPS to Jeremy Hunt MP, Secretary of State for the Department of Health.  In 2018, she was appointed to Assistant Government Whip in HM Government.  In 2019, she was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Prevention, Public Health and Primary Care in HM Government. Chris Venables, Head of Politics, Green Alliance Chris runs Green Alliance’s Political Leadership theme. He works to build the political momentum for bold and ambitious political action on the climate and nature crises. He manages the Climate leadership programme for MPs and joint UK-focused advocacy work with business and civil society. He previously worked in the Houses of Parliament as the campaigns and political lead for Green Party MP Caroline Lucas on environmental issues. Before that, he led the work for the global health charity Medact on social and economic justice and worked in Brussels for a foreign policy think tank. He has been involved in grassroots organising and campaigning for over a decade. He has a BA in politics from the University of York. Dr Michael Clark, Researcher, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford Mike's research interests include the environmental, economic, and health impacts of food systems. He uses models to provide quantitative estimates on the current and projected impacts of the food system, as well as the potential benefits of changing the food system (e.g. by changing diets, or the rate at which yields increases). Mike joined the Centre on Population Approaches for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention in August 2018, and is working on expanding the Centre's food system model to incorporate biodiversity and economic outcomes in collaboration with the Wellcome funded projected "Livestock, Environment and People", as well as with researchers from other departments across Oxford and international collaborators. Mike holds a PhD in Natural Resources Science and Management from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, and studied biology and ecology at undergraduate level.

This week we once again explore the UK Environment Bill, and how it will impact food brands and manufacturers. Following last weeks look at deforestation, we now turn our attention towards packaging. With the bill placing more responsibility on producers to make changes to their packaging in order for them to be easily recyclable, we look at how food brands will need to adapt to help the environment. Joining us are two experts in packaging and sustainability Martin Hyde, Policy Leader, Comply Direct and Julian Hunt, Vice President Public Affairs & Communications, Coca Cola European Partners. They explain what the new legislation means for the environment and how food brands will need to adapt. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our panel Martin Hyde, Policy Leader, Comply Direct Martin is the dedicated Policy Leader at Comply Direct Ltd, responsible for engaging members in environmental legislation and regulation change, informing both internal and external stakeholders on key policy developments within the waste and resources industry and advising on significant impacts, ensuring that Comply Direct is able to pursue the best interests of its 1600+ customers. With a background in data management, packaging consultancy and working with producers to meet their environmental compliance, Martin has a wealth of invaluable environmental policy knowledge and champions industry and customer engagement.  His policy role is focussed on highlighting the impacts of upcoming legislation and leading the development of consultation responses on behalf of the business and its customers. In addition, Martin has a personal passion for the Circular Economy which complements his expertise on Producer Responsibility and government measures such as the UK Plastic Tax, ensuring the meaningful, closed-loop advice and solutions which Martin regularly provides to affected organisations. Julian Hunt, Vice President Public Affairs & Communications, CCEP Julian Hunt joined Coca-Cola European Partners in 2011 as Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability for GB. In this role he is responsible for all aspects of CCEP’s internal and external communications, as well as its sustainability and Government affairs programmes. He has recently taken on additional responsibility for Sweden, Norway and Iceland. Prior to joining CCEP, Julian was Director of Communications at the Food and Drink Federation where he helped to steer the industry through many challenging debates, not least on public health. Before that, Julian was Editor of The Grocer magazine. In June 2013 he joined the Board of OPRL Ltd, the organisation which runs the packaging recycling information scheme in Great Britain. He is proud also to have supported the work of other organisations including the School Food Trust, FareShare and GroceryAid.

The UK Environment Bill aims to ensure that UK-based companies are transparent about their supply chains and their impact on deforestation and proposes fines for those who don’t adhere.  What will this new legislation mean for food and drink brands, why is it important, and does it go far enough? Joining Table Talk this week to share their views are Sam Lawson, Founding Director, Earthsight, Alice Lucas, Advocacy and Policy Manager, Fairtrade Foundation and Robert Sheasby, Chief Executive, The Agricultural Industries Confederation. About our panel Sam Lawson, Founding Director, Earthsight Earthsight is a non-profit organisation committed to harnessing the power of primary investigative research and reporting to bring attention to pressing issues of human rights and environmental justice. We aim to get to the core of an issue, using a range of investigative research methods to obtain first-hand, documented evidence of crimes against both people and the planet which is irrefutable and impossible to ignore. By following the money and tracing supply chains, our research also aims to expose the complicity of consumers and financiers in abetting these abuses. Alice Lucas, Advocacy and Policy Manager, Fairtrade Foundation Alice Lucas is Advocacy and Policy Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, leading on the organisation’s policy response to Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence Legislation, and it’s work on trade policy. Alice has been following the progress of the Environment Bill through Parliament and continues to engage with Members of Parliament and Government departments on the deforestation proposals. Alice holds an MSc in International Public Policy. Prior to joining Fairtrade, Alice worked on European Immigration and Asylum policy and advocacy. She has previously worked in the Communications and Education sector, and is currently acting as an advocacy strategy consultant to smaller NGO’s. Alice is Board member for the Trade Justice Movement. Robert Sheasby, Chief Executive, The Agricultural Industries Confederation Robert Sheasby was appointed the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) Chief Executive in May 2018. In this role Robert has overall responsibility for all aspects of the AIC, across its political lobbying, member representation and the six trade assurance schemes it runs on behalf of the agricultural supply sector. Robert joined the AIC after 17 years at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) where he had held various roles, most recently as NFU Regional Director for East Anglia. Prior to this Robert had been Regional Director in the North West and NFU Surveyor for England & Wales.  Robert studied at Seale Hayne Agricultural College and holds a degree in Rural Estate Management as well as being a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Prior to joining the NFU in 2001 Robert worked in the South West and the Thames Valley for firms of chartered surveyors as land agent and auctioneer. Robert is also a member of the Agricultural Law Association (ALA). Robert is experienced in agricultural political lobbying both at a national and European level. He has been involved in the development of national policy with Government, shaped European policy, as well as worked with national infrastructure companies to develop framework agreements for national use.

With traditional farming using 77% of agricultural land, but only providing 18% of the world's calories, it's clear our food system is fairly dysfunctional. 69% of the EU's protein-rich feed, such as soya, is imported, contributing to a growing climate crisis. With 1kg of insect protein using 99.4% less land than soy, the main ingredient in animal feed, will the insect farming offer a sustainable solution for the future? To find out, we speak to Keiran Whitaker, Founder and Director, Entocycle. Entocycle is a British insect farming startup that directly addresses all of these scary inefficiencies in our current food system. The company takes a ‘circular economy’ approach to production, it takes in pre-consumer food waste such as spent coffee grounds and beer grains and utilises insect’s natural bio-conversion process to convert this waste into natural, protein-rich insects to feed animals. Join us for a fascinating look into the potential for insect farming in the UK, and the positive impact it can have on our economy and environment. About our guest Keiran Whitaker, Founder and Director, Entocycle Keiran Whitaker received a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Oxford Brookes University and a master’s degree in science from the University of Manchester. As an environmental engineer, Whitaker saw the potential benefits to crops and livestock that come from harvesting insect protein. He launched Entocycle in 2014 to farm insects as a sustainable alternative to soy and fishmeal. Whitaker has successfully taken Entocycle through the Mass Challenge UK Business Accelerator, the Silicon Valley Y Combinator (Silicon Valley) and the prestigious Pearse Lyons Accelerator. He has raised funding for two facilities in London and the company’s soon-to-be first commercial facility in the U.K.

Professor Robert Thomas is leading the Phyto-V study to understand the impact of gut health on COVID-19. The purpose of the study is to determine if nutritional interventions could help shorten the severity or duration of illness for those infected with the virus. In this latest Table Talk we sit down to talk to Professor Thomas to find out all about this new study. Whilst it is widely known about the gut health brain axis, the gut health lung pathway is less known. The study explores whether phytochemicals and probiotics have a role to play in aiding faster recovery from Covid. We'll explore the results to date and what this means for our diet, what food we should be eating, and how we it affects severity and duration of COVID-related illness. It's a fascinating look further into the world of gut health, join the conversation on Table Talk. About Professor Robert Thomas Professor Robert Thomas is a full time NHS Consultant Oncologist at Bedford and Addenbrooke's Hospitals, a teacher at Cambridge University and a visiting Professor of Sports and Nutritional science at the University of Bedfordshire. He manages patients with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormones and biological targeted treatments but incorporates nutritional and lifestyle strategies to enhance their effect, reduce side effects and improve outcomes. He is also head of a Lifestyle and Cancer Research Unit which designs and conducts government approved scientific studies evaluating the impact of exercise, diet and natural therapies on cancer and other chronic diseases. The scientific papers resulting from this research, conducted in collaboration with Universities in Southern California, Cambridge and Glasgow, can be reviewed online. He currently leads the UK's covid-19 nutritional intervention study (The Phyto-V study) assessing whether prebiotic polyphenol rich foods plus the yourgut+ probiotic could lower the severity and duration of symptoms. He is author of the UK bestseller "How to Live and has been awarded The Hospital Doctor journal "Doctor of the Year" the British Oncology Association “Oncologist of the Year” and The Royal College of Radiologist Research Medal and the NHS communication prize. Photo (C) Richard Cannon

Could mobile health apps, known as mHealth, be the answer to managing food allergies for those who live with them? Millions of patients suffering from allergic diseases may benefit from mHealth innovations. The European Academy of Allergy & Clinical Immunology created a task force to assess the development and future potential of ICT in the field of allergy. Food allergy apps could play a significant role for different stakeholders, including patients and patient organisations, GPs and the food industry. Joining Table Talk to explain the opportunities, the potential, and the risks around food-allergy supporting mHealth are James Gardner, Allergy Nurse Consultant, Great North Children’s Hospital and Professor Michael Rudenko MD, PHD, FAAAAI, Allergy Consultant, Specialist in Allergy and Immunology, Medical Director and Founder of London Allergy and Immunology Centre. We explore this expanding sector and take a look at what the future might hold for mHealth and food allergy management. About our guests James Gardner, Allergy Nurse Consultant, Great North Children’s Hospital James previously worked with the allergy teams at St Mary’s Hospital, Evelina Children’s Hospital, Royal Free Hospital & Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital, all in London. After relocating, he is currently the Children’s and Young Persons Allergy Nurse Consultant at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle and Associate Clinical Lecturer in Newcastle University and he is the programme lead of the Allergy E-module. He is the Secretary of the Allied Health working group in the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. He is involved in several European task force groups through the academy including competencies for allied health working allergy and M-health. He is involved with many food allergy support groups and regularly on various allergy social media groups (Twitter @allergynurseuk). Professor Michael Rudenko MD, PHD, FAAAAI, Allergy Consultant, Specialist in Allergy and Immunology, Medical Director and Founder of London Allergy and Immunology Centre Prof Rudenko founded London Allergy and Immunology Centre in 2011 as a single practice. The centre has been externally audited and was accredited as a Centre of Excellence and Reference for conditions Urticaria and Angioedema UCARE and ACARE.

Health and wellbeing has become central to many of our lives with health-conscious consumers demanding natural products made with pure and simple ingredients. Immune health has garnered particular attention owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the desire for people to choose functional foods that help support their immune system. The Caribbean has historically been a tropical haven for a range of plant-based or natural ingredients. It’s therefore no surprise that the region is seeing a surge in demand for these natural products. With increased demand, the question of sustainability becomes of paramount importance, not only in terms of preserving the quality and potency of the product during production, but also ensuring farmers and local communities are not compromised or marginalised but in fact benefit from the surge in demand. In this podcast we hear from academics, food and drink industry experts and Caribbean exporters on the functional benefits of seamoss, more commonly known as Irish moss, turmeric, moringa, ginger and other natural products including gluten free flours and tropical fruit pulps and spices on what the Caribbean is doing to ensure sustainable practices and how indigenous communities are supported in meeting this growing trend for immune health. About our panel Natasha Edwin- Walcott, Senior Advisor, Competitiveness and Export Promotion Caribbean Export Development Agency Natasha is a Trade Advisor with over 12 years’ experience in multilateral and regional trade policy. She is the Senior Advisor, Competitiveness and Export Promotion at Caribbean Export Development Agency where her role involves assisting SMEs to become more competitive, become export ready and take their products to market. She has worked at the OECS Trade Mission in Geneva Switzerland, advocating and defending OECS Member State interests before the World Trade Organisation, UNCTAD and other International Organisations. She is also a former employee of Invest Saint Lucia working in investment promotion. Natasha holds a BA in Politics and International Relations, an MA in Globalisation, Development and Transition both from the University of Westminster, UK, and a Post Graduate Certificate in International Management from the University of Liverpool. She is passionate about international affairs and economic development. Ms Kareema Muncey, Owner and Managing Director, Home Choice Enterprise Ltd Ms. Muncey is the owner and Managing Director of Home Choice Enterprise Ltd. She started the company 22 years ago from a bag on her back, selling her first and signature product of Home Choice, peppered shrimp. She never gave up on herself or faith in God and now Home Choice is an award-winning brand and Ms. Muncey is arguably an emerging voice for small businesses in the food manufacturing industry. Dr Damian Cohall, Deputy Dean and a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, University of the West Indies Dr. Damian Cohall is a Jamaican born pharmacologist who joined the Faculty of the Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill in 2008. He is currently the Deputy Dean (Preclinical Sciences) and a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at the university and has profound research interests in Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy. In 2014, he published a book through the UWI Press entitled “Medicinal Plants of Barbados for the Treatment of Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases”. Most recently, he co-authored the chapter “Pharmacodynamics -A Pharmacognosy Perspective” in a book entitled Pharmacognosy: Fundamentals and Strategy, Elsevier: In Press. He also maintains an active research interest in cardiovascular risk profiling and medical education, and has published successfully in those areas. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the West Indian Medical Journal. Umeeda Switlo, President, Naledo Belize Ltd. Umeeda first went to Belize to volunteer with the Belizean government through CUSO International to share her business skills with youth. While in Belize, Umeeda traveled the country and met other people of Indian ancestry. She learned the story of how their ancestors had come to the country as indentured servants over 200 years ago. As they were sharing stories, of course cooking came up; one farmer showed her the turmeric that grew wild on his land. Their ancestors had brought the golden root with them! It was the most vivid orange and the best quality Umeeda had ever seen! After months of experimenting, she came up with the recipe for the world’s first wildcrafted, whole root turmeric paste – Truly Turmeric. We decided to build a social enterprise that would support growers to earn extra income, employ youth, improve health around the world, and produce products sustainably. Our company’s name comes from the district in Belize where our turmeric is sourced, Toledo and Nareena’s name… Na + ledo = Naledo. Embarrassing for her daughter, Nareena, proud mom bragging rights for Umeeda.

The Health Survey for England 2019 estimates that 28% of adults in England are obese, with a further 36% categorised as overweight. For children, 9.9% of 4-5 year olds are obese, growing to 21% by the time they reach 10-11. It's clear that obesity is a major problem in the country, but what are the psychological factors that influence obesity? Can an understanding of psychology help when trying to change the way we interact with food? Joining us to discuss this is Dr Lisa Newson, BSc (Hons), MSc, D Health Psyc. CPsychol. Reader in Applied Health Psychology, Health Psychologist, Liverpool John Moores University. Dr. Newson provides a comprehensive background on the psychological factors that come into play, how they affect the way we make food choices, and what can be done to turn the tide for the future. About Dr. Lisa Newson Dr. Lisa Newson, BSc (Hons), MSc, D Health Psyc. CPsychol. Reader in Applied Health Psychology, Health Psychologist, Liverpool John Moores University. Dr Newson is a Reader in Applied Health Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, who has varied experience as a Health Psychologist. She is a proud innovator of Health Psychology and has experience across the full spectrum of application within academia and healthcare practice. Dr Newson's expertise influences health prevention- overlapping with public health, and is applied directly to the management of long-term conditions. She has lead the British Psychological Society’s Obesity task group, who produced the Psychological Perspectives on Obesity policy document (2019), and has most recently contributed to the Parliamentary Committees post note on childhood obesity (March, 2021).

With a growing climate crisis, and population, food and beverage brands are facing the difficult question of how to produce more while impacting the environment less. The need to utilise our natural resources sustainably has never been greater, and on this podcast we look back at conversations we've had with three well-known brands who are putting sustainability at the heart of their organisations. We speak to David Wilkinson, Senior Director Agriculture, PepsiCo Europe, Anna Pierce, Director of Sustainability, Tate & Lyle, and Katie Leggett, Sustainability Cheerleader, Innocent Drinks to find out how their brands are approaching their sustainability challenges in order to improve their credentials within their organisations and supply chains. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our panel Anna Pierce, Director of Sustainability, Tate & Lyle Anna Pierce is the Director of Sustainability at Tate & Lyle, a 160-year-old business-to-business ingredient supplier. She is working to refocus the company’s sustainability programme on initiatives and partnerships that provide the greatest opportunity for positive impact in support of the its purpose – Improving Lives for Generations. She is leading Tate & Lyle’s efforts to infuse sustainability throughout the company’s operations. Anna joined Tate & Lyle after spending her career in various Environment, Health and Safety roles at General Electric. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science, a minor in Environmental and Occupational Science and Health, and an MBA from Gannon University. She also maintains accreditation as a Certified Safety Professional. Katie Leggett, Sustainability Cheerleader, Innocent Drinks Katie is the innocent drinks ‘sustainability cheerleader’ specialising in internal engagement and sustainability communications. Katie has worked with the WBCSD Sustainable Lifestyles team as well as in Corporate Responsibility reporting at ArcelorMittal. Katie joined the innocent sustainability team in 2014 and has since led their approach to human rights, made sure everyone at innocent has sustainability in their objectives and written innocent’s first ever ‘good all round’ report. Katie believes that – since a business is only made up of the people who work within it – it’s really important that sustainability teams invest time to make sure their colleagues are proud of, and can actively support, their company’s commitment to sustainability. David Wilkinson, Senior Director Agriculture, PepsiCo Europe David Wilkinson leads our Agricultural procurement team and is responsible for sourcing our direct agricultural raw materials across Europe and maintaining the relationships we have with our farmers – some extending 3 generations. Farmers are a key part of our business growing the crops that are at the heart of many of our core brands – whether it’s the potatoes that make Walker’s and Lay’s crisps, the oats that make Quaker, or the maize that make Doritos. David has worked for PepsiCo for 21 years and was originally an engineer by training. He now leads PepsiCo’s team of agronomy experts across the Europe sector and oversees PepsiCo’s Sustainable Farming Programme. He is passionate about the role companies like PepsiCo can play in helping farmers to meet the challenges facing the food industry – from adapting farming techniques in the wake of changing climate conditions, to growing more crops using less water, energy and carbon.

With the active lifestyle and sports nutrition markets growing exponentially, how will this group of consumers meet their dietary needs sustainably in the future? Insect cultivation uses a fraction of the land, energy and water required for traditional farming, and has a significantly lower carbon footprint. Crickets produce up to 80% less methane than cows and 8-12 times less ammonia than pigs, for example. Could insect protein be the sustainable solution for the climate-conscious active lifestyle consumer? Our guests on this episode of the Table Talk Podcast both think so. We're joined by Tim Boote, Founder, Protein Rebel and Antoine Hubert, Chairman & CEO, Ÿnsect, to hear how insects offer an alternative, sustainable source that is less impactful when compared to meat and dairy and offers a protein and vitamin-rich punch. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our panel Tim Boote, Founder, Protein Rebel Tim is the founder of clean and sustainable sports nutrition brand, Protein Rebel. Launched in August 2020, Protein Rebel focuses on natural ingredients and new types of proteins for endurance athletes and active lifestylers. The company uses plants and crickets as ingredients to help improve performance whilst reducing our impact on the planet. Tim’s background is in interim marketing for FMCG companies. He's worked for a number of organisations including PZ Cussons, Kellogg and Nandos Grocery. In 2019, Tim conceived the idea of Protein Rebel and started working on the business full-time. Tim has a keen interest in healthy eating and enjoys running and cycling. A few years' ago, he became increasingly aware of what he was putting into his body and the effect it was having on his performance and the planet. Searching for sports nutrition products, he struggled to find any with clean ingredients and which focused on sustainability. It was then he recalled the time he ate insects in Africa and how nutritious and sustainable they were. With some additional research it became clear that insects, especially crickets, are a superfood built for athletes. The first Protein Rebel product was soon born - a cricket and pea protein powder to support strength training goals. Antoine Hubert, Chairman & CEO, Ÿnsect Antoine is Ÿnsect’s Chairman and CEO. He also leads the cooperative insect industry association, the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) and is Board Member of Protéine France consortium and LFD. Prior to co-founding Ÿnsect, Antoine worked on scientific projects in environmental risk assessment, biomass and plastics recycling. He is an agronomy engineer graduate from AgroCampus-Ouest and AgroParisTech. Together with Alexis, he co-founded NPO WORGAMIC and the company ORGANEO.

In the next 5 years, the top 20 global consumer packaged goods companies are expected to experience slower growth than their smaller category competitors. As consumer expectations and behaviours have shifted in recent years, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, food and beverage brands need to search for growth in new ways and different places. Will innovating and disrupting the establishment be the secret to growth for food brands, or will new partnerships and category convergence create the biggest opportunities?   To help us answer these questions and more, we speak to global professional services company and technology leader Accenture to gain their perspective on the future landscape for food and beverage brands. Joining host Stefan Gates are Oliver Grange, Managing Director for Consumer Goods Strategy at Accenture and Giles Hanson, Director for ?WhatIf! Innovation, part of Accenture, to share their insight and predictions on how food brands will achieve growth in a new consumer landscape.   About our panel   Oliver Grange   Oliver is a Managing Director in Accenture’s Consumer Goods practice. He helps executives in the consumer goods sector address major disruptive trends, innovate and transform their businesses for growth.   Giles Hanson   Giles leads the European Consumer Goods practice at ?WhatIf! Innovation, part of Accenture. He bring a human-centred perspective to help businesses build new cultures for growth.

It sounds cliche, but COVID-19 has completely changed the way many of us think about nutrition, what we need to support our immune health, and the relationship we have with food. Combined with the one in 20 who've had COVID experiencing a prolonged loss of taste and smell due to the virus, it's clear that the impact of COVID on nutrition and our enjoyment of food has been pronounced. In this episode of the podcast we look back at two key discussions we've had in a series of podcasts focused on how nutrition and our enjoyment of food has been impacted by COVID. In a fascinating look at COVID-related loss of taste and smell we join Barry Smith, Professor, Institute of Advanced Studies, University of London to hear about the latest research on the phenomena, and what can be done to help those who are suffering because of it. Then we join Philip Calder, Professor of Nutritional Immunology and Head of School of Human Development and Health at the University of Southampton to discover what we now know about how nutrition can support our immune health for the future. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our guests Philip Calder Philip Calder is Professor of Nutritional Immunology and Head of School of Human Development and Health at the University of Southampton in the UK. He is currently President of ILSI Europe. Professor Calder is an internationally recognised researcher on the metabolism and functionality of fatty acids with an emphasis on the roles of omega-3 fatty acids in immunity, inflammation and cardiometabolic disease. He has also conducted recognised research on amino acids, antioxidants, prebiotics, probiotics and natural products. His research addresses both life course and translational considerations and includes research in cell and animal models and in healthy humans and patients. Professor Calder has published over 600 scientific articles (excluding abstracts) and according to Web of Science his work has been cited over 33,000 times. He has a Web of Science h-index of 100, a Google Scholar h-index of 130 (i10 index 489) and has been included in every listing of Highly Cited Researchers. He has received many awards and prizes for his work including ESPEN’s Cuthbertson Lecture (2008), the Ralph Holman Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Oil Chemists’ Society (2015), the prestigious Danone International Prize for Nutrition (2016) and the DSM Lifetime Achievement Prize in Human Nutrition (2017). Professor Calder was President of the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (2009-2012), Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) (2012-2016) and President of the Nutrition Society (2016-2019). He is currently President of the Federation of European Nutrition Societies. He was Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Nutrition (2006 to 2013) and is currently Associate Editor of Clinical Science and Journal of Nutrition. He previously served on many Editorial Boards of journals in the nutrition, lipidology and biochemistry fields. Professor Calder has a long association with ILSI Europe having served on its Scientific Advisory Committee, as Scientific Co-Chair of one of its Task Forces, and as a member (including Chairing) several Expert Groups. Barry Smith Barry C Smith is a professor of philosophy and director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study, as well as the founding director of the Centre for the Study of the Senses, which pioneers collaborative research between philosophers, psychologists and neuroscientists. He is also the UK lead in the study of the long term impact of the loss of taste and smell in Covid-19 sufferers. He has held visiting professorships at the University of California at Berkeley and the Ecole Normale Superiéure in Paris, and in 2012 he was appointed as the AHRC Leadership Fellow for the Science in Culture Theme, as well as Pro-Dean for new academic initiatives at the School of Advanced Study.

Global soils are the source of all life on land but their future looks bleak. Our soils are in crisis. Their health is declining to the extent that we are just one generation away from a soil system that is unable to meet the needs of the people that depend on it. We urgently need to find solutions to reverse the damage we've done to our soil in order to protect humanity in the future. In this episode we're joined by three experts in the field to find out the scale of the problem we face and what we need to do to save our soil. Joining host Stefan Gates are Professor Chris Collins, Programme Coordinator, Soil Security Programme, Dr Felicity Crotty, Lecturer in Soil Science, Royal Agricultural University and Richard Bardgett, Professor of Ecology, The University of Manchester. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our panel Richard Bardgett, Professor of Ecology, The University of Manchester Richard Bardgett is British ecologist and Professor of Ecology at The University of Manchester. He graduated from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1987 with a degree in Soil and Land Resource Science, and then moved to Lancaster University, where he gained his PhD in 1991. He then held posts at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research and the Universities of Manchester and Lancaster, where he established the Soil and Ecosystem Ecology Group. Richard returned to The University of Manchester in 2013 where he is now Professor of Ecology. Until recenttly, he served as President of the British Ecological Society (2017-2019). Professor Chris Collins, Programme Coordinator, Soil Security Programme Chris is Chair of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Reading. He chairs the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee providing expert advice to the UK Government on how to protect the environment from chemicals. Chris was Natural Environment Research Council Soils Coordinator overseeing a multi-million pound research investment to improve our understanding of how soils resist, recover and adapt to land use and climate change. He was a member of the UK Natural Capital Committee 2018-2020. His research focuses on determining the factors controlling exposure of biota to environmental pollution. Dr Felicity Crotty, Lecturer in Soil Science, Royal Agricultural University Dr Felicity Crotty has been researching soil biology and soil health for the last twelve years. Felicity joined the Royal Agricultural University as a Lecturer in Soil Science and Ecology in 2018. She is a soil ecologist working with the aim of promoting soil health and sustainable agriculture and is particularly interested in investigating how agricultural management effects soil quality, focusing on soil biology (earthworms, springtails, mites and nematodes), physics (compaction and water infiltration) and chemistry (N, P, K and other nutrients). Through combining her expertise in all three areas of soil science she is trying to disentangle the real impact different management strategies have on soil health and farming sustainably. Felicity has current projects investigating the use of AI to identify earthworm casts, using sensors to detect earthworm movements in the field and monetising soil health. Felicity previously worked as the Soil Scientist at the Allerton Project (Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust) working on the Sustainable Intensification Research Platform (SIP), SoilCare project (EU Horizon 2020), and Soil Biology & Soil Health Partnership (AHDB). Prior to this, she was a Post-doc at Aberystwyth University working on the PROSOIL and SUREROOT projects; she spent a year as a Post-Doc in Canada at Dalhousie University (Halifax) and Saskatchewan University (Saskatoon), experimenting on the fungal feeding channel within the soil food web. She obtained her PhD at Rothamsted Research (North Wyke) investigating the passage of carbon and nitrogen through the soil food web.

The Table Talk Podcast has had the pleasure of talking to passionate innovators from across the world of food, drink and nutrition. With plant-based food achieving significant growth in the past few years, the producers, platforms and personalities in the plant-based sector are among the biggest drivers of innovation and NPD in food. In this collection, we look back at three guests who've been doing their part to impact the way we view compassionate eating, and to offer tasty, healthy alternatives to traditional animal proteins. Meet Derek Sarno, co-founder of Wicked Healthy, LLC, and Executive Chef & Director of Plant-Based Innovation for Tesco PLC, to hear about his journey supporting plant-based innovation at Tesco, Chris Kerr, Founding Partner, CIO, Unovis Partners; CIO New Crop Capital; Co-Founder, Gathered Foods (US), to find out how he's helping to promote seafood alternatives to reduce the impact on our oceans, and Ria Rehberg, CEO of Veganuary to hear how the annual vegan pledge has managed to help save the carbon equivalent of driving around the world 15 times. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our guests Derek Sarno Derek Sarno is the co-founder of Wicked Healthy, LLC, and also serves as Executive Chef & Director of Plant-Based Innovation for Tesco PLC, where he is leading the company’s efforts to bring delicious, unpretentious vegan foods to market. Prior to co-founding Wicked Healthy and partnering with Tesco, Derek served as the Senior Global Executive Chef for Whole Foods Market, where he oversaw global research and development for the company’s prepared foods department, worked with suppliers and leadership to develop and promote plant-based foods across the organisation, and served as Culinary Director for the WFM Academy for Conscious Leadership. Ria Rehberg Ria Rehberg is the CEO of Veganuary, a UK based charity that encourages people worldwide to try vegan for January and beyond. Since 2014, Veganuary has inspired and supported more than one million people in 192 countries to try vegan. Additionally Veganuary works with hundreds of businesses to drive up vegan food provision in shops and restaurants, and have made veganism more visible and accessible through their work with national and international media. Chris Kerr With almost thirty years of leadership experience with start-ups and venture capital investing, Chris Kerr has spent the last decade focused on impact investing in the plant-based foods sector. Chris is a co-founder of Gathered Foods and its Good Catch plant-based seafood brand and has worked with and helped launch many game changing companies in the plant-based sector, including Beyond Meat, Daiya, Alpha Foods, NUMU and many others. He is the Chief Investment Officer for Unovis Partners, which is the asset manager for New Crop Capital, one of the world’s most active investors in the plant-based foods and cellular ag technology sectors.

The pandemic has changed our day-to-day behaviours and following a year of lockdowns and restrictions consumers have adapted to new routines that have seen them spend more days and nights at home. With food at the heart of these new rituals, brands and manufacturers have tapped into the need for their customers to have indulgent experiences to break the monotony, with meal kits, subscription services, and delivery on demand taking the place of restaurants as consumers seek out indulgence and new experiences. With lockdown easing, what's next for brands and retailers who are providing these at-home indulgent experiences? Will people rush back to their previous habits of eating out, or will a new hybrid model take over? Joining Table Talk to discuss this fascinating subject is Suzanne Robinson, Director for Innovation in Consumer Goods and Retail at ?WhatIf!, an innovation agency that’s part of Accenture. She'll explain how consumer rituals have changed, what trends are developing and will continue to grow over the year ahead, and what opportunities there are for food brands and CPGs to get ahead of consumer demand for new indulgences. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About Suzanne Robinson Former UK MD for Happen Innovation, Suzanne is now Director for Innovation (CG&S) in Accenture’s Innovation Practice ?What If!, exploring emerging growth opportunities in the complex and yet exciting Future of Food world for CPG and Retail clients. Having worked with clients such as Nestle, M&S, Tesco she unites her commercially proven foresight and insight expertise with the extensive Accenture resources to help accelerate innovation in this mature, competitive & fascinating food and beverage space.

Oliver Bennett is a 28-year-old British driver who made his debut in the British Rallycross Championship in 2016 and fought for the title in the following season. Oliver is also the co-founder of Xite Energy, a brand bringing nootropic energy drinks to the mass market. Popular among Gen Z and E-sports athletes, nootropics support healthy brain function and mental ability. This podcast looks at the growing world of nootropics, as we chat to Oliver about why Xite entered the market and how the sector has developed, and will continue to grow. Why are so many E-sports athletes and Gen Z consumers embracing nootropics for cognitive health, and what can we expect from brands like Xite in the future? Join the conversation on Table Talk. About Oliver Bennett Oliver Bennett is a 28-year-old British driver with experience in rallycross competitions. In 2016 he made his debut in the British Rallycross Championship and the following season he fought for the title. He also made his debut in the FIA World Rallycross Championship, where he has competed in recent seasons. Bennett has also participated in a number of Americas Rallycross events and the Gymkhana GRID in Cape Town in 2018, where he put on a great performance. About Xite XITE Energy, which was born in Bristol UK, is only two years old but has already made huge waves in the highly competitive energy drinks market. The brainchild of university graduate and rally driver Oliver Bennett - who is racing in Extreme E for the Hispano Suiza XITE Energy Team - and co-founder Megan Jones. The product is designed to resonate with fellow Gen Z’ers by using nootropics (Cognitive amino acids that aid concentration and focus) natural caffeine (green coffee bean), natural flavours, pansax ginseng, L-tyrosine and L-carnitine – all designed to keep energy levels constant without the ‘highs and lows’ associated with most other energy drinks. The brand is also proud that 1p for every can sold goes to mental health charities.

The UK government is looking to ban all TV and online advertising for food and drink that are categorised as high in fat, sugar, or salt in an attempt to reduce obesity. What will this ban mean for the food industry, and will it have the impact that the government hopes it will? To explore this question we bring together two experts in the field, Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive, Advertising Association and Phil Smith, Director General, ISBA. We discuss what the implications of the band are for manufacturers and brands, and we investigate the facts around advertising and obesity in order to determine how effective the ban might be. Join the conversation on Table Talk. About our panel Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive, Advertising Association Stephen was appointed CEO of the Advertising Association in 2016. The AA promotes the role and rights of responsible advertising and its value to people, society, businesses and the economy, and all the key trade bodies, commercial media owners and tech platforms are members of the AA. Prior to joining, Stephen held management roles in four agency groups (Leo Burnett, WCRS/Engine and DDB/adam&eveDDB, Next 15). He also chairs youth marketing agency Livity, a social purpose-driven business that seeks to transform young peoples’ lives, especially from BAME backgrounds. He is a Governor of Ravensbourne University in London, the UK’s newest creative and technology university. Stephen is a past President of NABS and serves on the board of the History of Advertising Trust. He was IPA President (2003-05) where he led both their first ethnic diversity initiative and transformed its professional qualifications for new industry entrants, which over 20,000 people have now sat and passed in the UK and around the world. Phil Smith, Director General, ISBA Phil joined ISBA in January, 2017 and heads up the organisation. He’s responsible for ISBA’s strategic direction and its advocacy agenda. He leads the team of ISBA directors and looks after the day to day operation of the business. Before ISBA, Phil’s career in the UK and Europe has been in marketing, sales and general management, spanning a wide range of industry sectors, from consumer goods to grocery retail and from marketing technology to lottery and games. Phil holds a BA in Classics from Jesus College, Oxford. He is a keen runner, skier, year-round open water swimmer and is married with five children.

What are the key ingredients that the best future  brands share as they carve their path to success? Are there ways aspiring young brands can tap into their success as they are starting out? This episode of the Table Talk Podcast will ask the industry experts who judged the Future Brands competition at Food Matters Live to get their perspective on the recipe that helps fuel success. Joining our panel are  Emma Williams, head of Future Brands Origination and investing at Sainsbury's, and returning for the third time on the podcast is Andy Wardlaw Chief Ideas Officer at MMR Research. We'll also be hearing from some of the winners of the Future Brands competition to see what advice they have for aspiring young brands. Join us! Be recognised as a brand of the future, enter the Food Matters Live Awards The prestigious Food Matters Live Awards is back, celebrating outstanding innovations from across the food, drink and nutrition sectors. Spanning across 12 exciting categories, the shortlisted Food Matters Live Awards 2021 entrants will be announced on 10 June. From there, the shortlisted companies will be invited to discuss their products and innovations with the esteemed judging panel via video conferencing, giving the shortlist an opportunity to explain why they deserve to win. After the judging round, the winning entrants will be announced and celebrated during Food Matters Live, 29-30 June. Enter now: https://bit.ly/3hALdeK About our panel Andy Wardlaw, Chief Innovations Officer, MMR Research Andrew’s career in food and drink began with selling fish paste to local stores and wholesalers for the Shippam’s brand in the south of England. That was in 1992. Since then he has gone on to develop insight and ideas for Old El Paso, Haagen-Dazs and Nature Valley – all at General Mills, as well as stints at functional dairy brand Benecol and every little person’s favourite Ella’s Kitchen. Now he heads up ideas at the MMR Group, which helps brands develop products that are not just liked, but beautifully aligned across all moments of truth – across brand, pack and product - to create more powerful user experiences. MMR partners with over 2/3 of the world’s leading food and drink manufacturers and has had a very busy 2020 as companies invest in a new consumer landscape. He lives in Great Missenden, world famous for the writer Roald Dahl, which might explain his love to all things chocolate… Emma Williams, Head of Future Brands Origination and investing, Sainsbury's Emma is Head of Future Brands Origination and Investing at Sainsbury's, Looking for the best challenger brands across food, drink, and non-food grocery to exclusively partner with and grow.