Exploring Snack Profitability and Health Benefits

Ruth Alexander looks at the world of snacks. Have we always snacked or is it a more modern phenomenon that started with formal meal patterns? What snacks have been popular through the ages, what’s the industry doing now and what could we be eating in the future?

We talk to food historians Dr Annie Gray and Professor Janis Thiessen, the former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman - who remembers the rise of some of the biggest brands - and Christine Cochran from the international trade association SNAC International.

We also hear from snack fans across the world.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk