Food Matters Live Podcast

By Food Matters LiveHealth & Fitness Technology Arts Food

Food Matters Live Podcast episodes

January 26 594: How hybrid proteins and novel ingredients are reshaping the market
Why are UK retailers pursuing "health by stealth" with hybrid meat products while European counterparts openly label them as plant-meat blends?
In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, two experts reveal why the future of alternative proteins isn't about replacing meat - it's about making meat smarter through hybrid blending.
We discover that vegans and vegetarians make up only a third of the UK population, yet the industry spent years developing products exclusively for them while plant-based meat declined 1% year-on-year.
Meanwhile, processed meat consumption is actually growing, creating an opportunity for hybrid solutions that deliver savings across cost, CO2, calories, and saturated fat.
2050, if nothing changes, 40% of Earth's surface will develop novel climates - so perhaps the question isn't whether your grandchildren will eat alternative proteins, but which ones they'll choose.
32 min
January 19 593: NPD opportunities in functional nutrition
Can dehydrated vegetable scraps become the base for functional granola? And why do so many functional drinks fail at the most basic level - taste?
In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, industry innovators reveal the missed opportunities and emerging trends reshaping functional food development.
Our expert panel suggests there may be a critical industry blind spot: consumers don't buy prebiotics or probiotics - they buy breakfast, lunch, and dinner - yet some brands make functional foods sound clinical rather than delicious.
On emerging trends: products formulated with GLP-1 users in mind, and functional mushrooms.
The challenge? Making clean label products taste incredible while consumers increasingly pay attention to ingredient lists.
36 min
January 12 592: Bridging the cognitive health nutrient gap
Can the right nutrients in early life protect your brain decades later? Are we missing critical brain-boosting compounds in our daily diets?
In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our event in Rotterdam, neuroscience experts reveal the nutrient gaps undermining cognitive health across every life stage - and the innovative ingredients that could fill them.
We discover that 90% of the UK population fails to meet omega-3 recommendations, and we learn about emerging evidence around the links between cognitive performance and products like spearmint extract and curcumin.
How many of the claims can be backed up with science? And are we just scratching the surface when it comes to link between our cognitive health and our diet?
42 min
January 05 591: Food innovation trends for 2026 and beyond
How does a trending flavour make it from social media hype to supermarket shelves? And why do some innovations succeed while others end up gathering dust in warehouses?

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, industry leaders from Tesco, Green King, Yo! Sushi, and Danone reveal how they navigate the innovation process.

We discover why Tesco segments millions of customers into just six categories, how Green King balances 2,000 traditional pub-goers with innovation at the menu periphery, and why even the most science-backed products need consumer testing to distill complex claims into one simple line.

Our expert panel will guide you through in our look ahead to 2026 and beyond.
46 min
December 22, 2025 590: Butter boards and milk manga - the renaissance of dairy
Dairy products may be perceived as 'much-loved by uninspiring' in some quarters, but there's plenty of work being done to change the category's image.

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Dublin event, we discover how it's being transformed through the prism seven consumer lifestyle pathways.

We learn about communal dining trends driving butter and cheese boards across Gen Z, and "prejuvenation" - where 20-somethings obsess over aging and drive collagen-infused dairy innovation.

And there is a GLP-1 angle. As appetite suppressors change how people experience food, dairy is leaning into sensory innovation - texture (yogurts with three different textures in one pot), olfactory cues (fragrance as a purchase driver in Chinese RTD teas), and maximalist joy.

From milk manga comics revealed as Japanese schoolchildren empty their bottles, to Velveeta's unapologetic 100-year celebration with nail polish and candles, dairy's future isn't about being healthy and boring - it's about nutrient density delivered with color, fun, and connection.
23 min
December 15, 2025 589: The next generation of sustainable protein
The next wave of protein innovation is here - and it looks nothing like the plant-based burgers that dominated the last five years.

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event in 2025, we explore two radically different approaches to meat alternatives.

Mycelium fermentation that grows centimetre-length muscle-like fibres, requiring just four ingredients, and extremophilic micro algae that thrive at pH 1 without contamination or arable land.

But our panel of experts also confront the hard numbers: with billions of chickens slaughtered annually and current meat consumption mathematically unsustainable by 2050, these innovations must need to achieve price parity, superior nutritional value, and genuine consumer acceptance to make a meaningful impact.
43 min
December 08, 2025 588: Forecasting the future of flavour innovation
What does the future hold for flavour innovation in the food sector?

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our event in Dublin, five culinary innovators reveal which flavour trends are defining the 2020s - and which unexpected ingredients will reshape menus by 2030.

The panel dissects everything from "borderless cuisine", to the relentless march of hot honey across every category.

And what of plant-based meat alternatives? Some of our panel push back on products trying too hard to mimic meat.

And could we be about to witness a turnaround in fortunes for the PR around MSG?

48 min
December 01, 2025 587: The HFSS Challenge - Innovation, Consumer Reality and Industry Progress
Can you reformulate a product to reduce sodium by 25% without losing the rich savoury profile consumers expect? And even if you can, will shoppers actually buy it?

The UK's high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) regulations have sparked the biggest wave of reformulation the food industry has seen in decades - but success requires far more than technical prowess.

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our Ascot event, three speakers reveal the complex reality of making food healthier while keeping consumers coming back for more.

And there's another challenge: just as companies invest millions reformulating to current benchmarks, there are further changes in the works.

How can industry maintain momentum when the regulatory goalposts keep moving, and 40% of shopping baskets still come from HFSS products?
46 min
November 24, 2025 586: GLP-1 - How should the food industry respond?
What happens when 12% of US adults start using weight loss medication that suppresses their appetite? We're finding out in real time - and the food industry is working to respond.

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our event in Dublin in November 2025, we look at how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are already leading to retailers and manufacturers all over the world fundamentally rethinking their strategies.

The numbers are stark: households using GLP-1s spend 6% less on food overall, meanwhile, protein yogurts, meat snacks, nutrition bars and fresh produce are thriving as users seek nutrient-dense foods to maintain nutrition while eating far less.

GLP-1 isn’t a side story, in fact, this consumer segment is already the same size as the vegan/vegetarian market in the UK. And the signs are that it’s only going to grow.

The real challenge is, we don't know if users will take these drugs once, multiple times in cycles, or continuously at maintenance doses - and each scenario requires completely different food industry responses.

26 min
November 17, 2025 585: The expanding world of gut health innovation
As the gut microbiome emerges as a "forgotten organ" implicated in everything from cardiovascular disease to Parkinson's, the biotics landscape is exploding beyond probiotics.

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our event in Rotterdam in September 2025, a panel of experts take a deep dive into the world of pre, pro and postbiotics.

They reveal how plant-based meat fibres, and probiotic fermented foods are reshaping our understanding of gut health - and challenging how we communicate these complex benefits to consumers.

We discover how heat-inactivated bacteria can deliver gut, immune, and even mental health benefits without the stability challenges of live probiotics, look at how plant-based meat alternatives increase beneficial fibre-degrading microbes, and tackle the communication issue: how do you explain to consumers that not all fermented foods contain probiotics, that more probiotic strains isn't necessarily better, and that throwing multi-strain supplements at a Western diet won't magically fix everything?
56 min