Food contamination is a serious public health problem around the world. The World Health Organisation estimates that 600 million – almost 1 in 10 people in the world – fall ill after eating contaminated food and 420,000 die every year.  In this episode, Ruth Alexander speaks to some of the people whose lives have been shaped by serious food safety breaches and how they are working to ensure food safety and strengthen our food systems.  She speaks to US food policy campaigner, Darin Detwiler, whose son Riley died following an E. coli outbreak in 1993, food safety consultant Lone Jespersen, and Tina Potter, head of incidents at the Food Standards Agency for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk (Picture: Scientist inspecting meat sample in laboratory. Credit: Getty/BBC) Producer: Elisabeth Mahy

Inside food safety scares

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

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Devina Gupta takes a food tour of her home city of Delhi to see how people are adapting to rising summer temperatures.   In May this year the city saw a record temperature of almost 50C, and knowing what to eat in such heat can be a challenge.   The changing climate is sparking innovative recipes in restaurant kitchens and bringing traditional practices back to people’s kitchens.  Devina tries old favourites at street markets, a modern twist on a classic drink at a high end restaurant and is (almost) convinced that a vegetable she has hated since childhood might work wonders in the heat.   She hears from public health expert Dr Samar Husayn about why the cold, sweet treats you might reach for on a hot day aren’t always the best.   And she sees the difference between how those who have air-conditioned homes and those who don’t are coping.   Presenter: Devina Gupta  Producer: Hannah Bewley   (Image: A bowl of gourd dip with restaurant workers in the heat in the background. Credit: BBC)

Eating in the heat

Ruth Alexander explores the origins and evolution of the humble grab-and-go food the burrito, which started life in northern Mexico, before crossing over into the US and becoming a hit around the world.  Versions of the spicy wrap can be enjoyed in restaurants, street food shacks and supermarket home meal kits all over the world.  We explore the burrito’s contested origins, find out why some Mexican food purists dislike the popular menu item and ask what the future holds for it, and the cuisine more broadly.  If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk  (Picture: a burrito in a restaurant in Juarez, Mexico. Credit: Vianey Alderete Contreras/BBC) Presented by Ruth Alexander.
Produced by Sam Clack.
Additional reporting by Vianey Alderete Contreras in Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, United States.

The burrito story

Cows emit greenhouse gases when they eat, which contributes to global warming. But is it possible to produce meat in a climate-friendly way?    Grace Livingstone visits a carbon neutral certified ranch in Uruguay, where farm manager Sebastian Olaso shows her around. She also meets Javier Secadas, a small farmer who raises cattle on natural grasslands, and agronomist Ignacio Paparamborda, from the University of the Republic in Montevideo. Grace hears from Pete Smith, Professor of Soils and Global Change at the University of Aberdeen, and Dominik Wisser, Livestock Policy Officer, from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.   She tries to find out if it is possible to produce meat in a way that is both good for nature and the climate. Or whether we need to stop eating meat to cut emissions. Presenter/Producer: Grace Livingstone
(Image: Cows grazing in Uruguay. Credit: Getty Images)

Can beef be carbon neutral?

Why eat with your hands?  Many food cultures around the world eat using hands, and most of us use our hands some of the time.  Do we really need cutlery or chopsticks to eat a salad, peas or rice? And if you were to tackle soup or stew with your hands, how would you go about it?  Michael Kaloki reports from Nairobi, Kenya, where the staple dish ugali, made from maize flour, is traditionally eaten by hand. Michael has observed that people increasingly use cutlery to eat the dish, and he speaks to restaurateurs and customers about why that might be, and what might be lost.   Ruth Alexander learns about the etiquette of eating by hand with food writer and consultant Karen Anand in India. And Ruth explores whether food might be more enjoyable, and even taste better, when eaten by hand. Psychologist Professor Charles Spence from Oxford University, and chef Jozef Youssef of Kitchen Theory in the UK share their research.   If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk  Presented by Ruth Alexander.  Produced by Beatrice Pickup.  Reporting by Michael Kaloki in Nairobi, Kenya.  (Image: a man’s hands, pulling apart a sweet cake wrapped in dough, with sauce on his hands. Credit: Getty Images/ BBC)

Eat with your hands

Stunning cakes, colourful salads and intricate garnishes use flowers to entice customers, but there’s more to this trend than just beautiful social media pictures.   Many cultures around the world have eaten flowers for centuries, and some of them pack a serious punch.   Devina Gupta explores the history of edible flowers and visits a site in the UK where they’re grown all year round. She gets quite a shock when trying one particular variety.   We find out why flowers are used on food nowadays, and how generations of knowledge about their use and properties were lost when they were brought to Western countries.   If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.    Presented by Devina Gupta  Produced by Julia Paul and Beatrice Pickup  (Image: A nasturtium flower growing. Credit: BBC)

Inside food safety scares

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