The Pacific Food Island Revolution (PIFR) continues to be televised to record numbers of people in the Pacific Islands. But do Australia and New Zealand harvest the soft power benefits of the show? And to what extent has PIFR influenced healthier eating in the region? In this episode we explore the soft power of television through the program often referred to as the MasterChef of the Pacific.

Henrietta McNeill, a key contributor to Professor Joanne Wallis's Statecraftiness project, suggests a shift from insecurity-inducing TV to content that truly feeds and nourishes the soul.

Mele Mauala guides us through traditional Samoan cuisine such as seafood, root crops, and fruits while discussing the transition of Western foods, like wheat, into mainstream diets. 

Enid Westerlund takes us on an heart-racing tour of Samoan restaurants

Our own Mark Panayiotis Notaras shares his experience of partnering with the show through his work as Co-Founder of the Timor-Leste Food Lab in a collaborative dinner for the then Timor-Leste Prime Minister.

We learn how the Pacific Food Island Revolution has impacted behaviour and food consumption patterns, by exploring diverse perspectives from industry insiders.

This episode features:

- Gordon Peake - Host

- Henrietta McNeill - Pacific Security Researcher at Australian National University

- Mele Mauala - Country Programme Coordinator at Samoa Women's Association of Growers #SWAG

- Enid Westerlund - Business Consultant and Ambassador Oceania International Students House UK

- Mark Panayiotis Notaras - Executive Producer of Statecraftiness, General Manager at CulturalPulse, and Co-Founder of the Timor-Leste Food Lab and Agora Food Studio 

- Barney Higgins - Voicing the words of Robert Louis Stevenson 

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