Food Matters Live Podcast

602: The fibre gap - can the food industry bridge it?

Fibre is arguably one of the most important and most neglected nutrients in the Western diet. Sixty per cent of people are not hitting their daily requirements and, unlike protein, it has an image problem that public health campaigns have largely failed to fix. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, three experts examine the fibre gap from three very different angles: the supply chain, the behavioural science, and the cutting-edge physiology. We hear the case for "stealth health" and invisible integration as the only realistic route to getting more fibre into consumer diets right now, and how a landmark Danish intervention doubled national fibre intake.

601: From deforestation to data breaches — the new frontline of supply chain compliance

What if the greatest threat to your supply chain isn't a disease outbreak or a logistics failure, but a ransomware attack on a supplier you've never met? The regulatory and risk landscape facing food businesses has shifted dramatically, from The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, to EU Deforestation Regulation, and the increased risk of cyber attacks in food supply chains. In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, three specialists in supply chain technology and compliance unpack what all of this means in practice.  The question the industry  faces is whether it can treat data with the same rigour it has always applied to physical ingredients.

600: Gut health NPD - the claims problem that needs addressing

The gut health market is booming. But if you can't make a meaningful health claim, how do you build a commercially successful product? Despite decades of research, billions spent on ingredients, and a consumer base that's genuinely hungry for gut health solutions, the industry faces a fundamental tension: the science is outpacing what regulators will allow on pack.  In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, our panel of experts debate where the real opportunity lies in gut health NPD - and where the industry keeps tripping itself up.  They examine why the gut-brain axis is both the most exciting frontier and the hardest to substantiate for regulators; why one well-designed study will never be enough to unlock a claim, and why flooding the market with poorly powered trials actively damages the entire field.

599: The women's health revolution - opportunities and unknowns

Why has women's health historically been an underfunded sector in the food industry - and what do we stand to gain as that begins to change? With supplement launches carrying a women's health claim growing in recent years, and perimenopause product launches alone up 45% in 2024, the commercial opportunity is significant.  But so is the scientific gap. Women's health has been studied through a one-size-fits-all lens for too long - and the nutrition needs of a woman in her 20s, through pregnancy, perimenopause and beyond, are not the same. As we approach International Women's Day, this episode, recorded at the Food Matters Live event in Rotterdam, sees our panel of experts map both the opportunity and the unknowns.

598: GLP-1: What happens after the drugs?

What happens to consumers, and to the food and wellness industries, when millions of people come off GLP-1 medication? With GLP-1 drugs surging in popularity, the food industry is already grappling with something far more complex than simply weightloss: who is this consumer, what do they need while on the medication, and crucially, what do they need when they stop? In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, our panel of experts dig into the physiology, the food innovation opportunity, and the gaps the industry is not yet filling.  They explore how GLP-1 drugs alter taste and texture perception, why the craving for sweetness and alcohol diminishes whilst on the drugs, and what nutrient-dense, small-format product innovation looks like for a consumer eating far less. They also look to the future, when patients come off medication, as the critical, underleveraged opportunity for functional food, probiotics, and fibre innovation.