The Food Programme

Simon Parkes takes a look behind the scenes of Britain's favourite snack, the biscuit and as he discovers major change is underway to some of our most famous food brands.Our most popular biscuits, including the digestive and the Bourbon became firm fixtures of British life in the 19th century. The snacks were produced in their millions in places like Reading and York and exported all over the world. Today, we spend more than 2.5 billion pounds eating our way through an ever increasing range of biscuits.It's a world that's now having to adapt to a number of powerful trends. Firstly, as we're being encouraged to eat more healthy foods, millions of pounds are being invested by manufacturers with the aim of "reformulating" some of the most valuable recipes in the food industry. Secondly, with the rise of global food brands, more and more of these iconic snacks are being bought up by a small number of companies.What does all this mean for a British food institution? Simon Parkes takes a close look at the pleasures and the profits behind the biscuit.Producer: Dan Saladino.

Tim Hayward is not alone in his passion for stock, but there must be few culinary adventurers who take things to the level of his highly developed home routine.Glasses still steamy from several simmering stockpots, Tim sets off on a journey into the world of stock. On his travels he'll share precious stock secrets, learn from the masters, tell tales of nineteenth-century Uruguay and peek behind the doors of stock-cube heaven.Producer: Rich Ward.

There's been a huge growth in the range of 'free from' foods over the last decade. Sheila Dillon asks whether this is due to more people being diagnosed with food allergies, or whether retailers and manufacturers are finding their own ways to grow consumer interest in dairy and gluten free foods.Producer: Maggie Ayre.

Richard Johnson reports from Japan on the impact of the Fukushima disaster on food. How has the threat of contamination changed attitudes to the nation's prized food culture?A year ago, Japan was hit by the catastrophic Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. In the days that followed, reactors 1, 2 and 3 at the Fukushima nuclear power station experienced full meltdown. The fears of catastrophic radioactivite contamination led to a 20 km-radius evacuation around the plant, while engineers risked their lives to stabilise the reactors. It was the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, but that wasn't the end of the story. A longer-term food story started to emerge. A testing regime was introduced to monitor radiation levels in the food supply chain. The World Health Organisation is also carrying out its own tests to ensure that absorption of caesium through food, over decades to come, doesn't become a major threat to public health.But as Richard Johnson discovers, confusion and lack of information in the early weeks of the crisis has led to suspicion and mistrust among large sections of the Japanese population. For this reason, the disaster is likely to not just change Japan's relationship with its politicians, but also its food culture. Producer: Dan Saladino.

We are going through an unprecedented change in how we eat. Developing countries are moving away from traditional diets, and all over the world new types of foodstuffs are edging out foods that have been consumed for centuries. Is this a change for the better, what is driving this change, and how well do we understand what the implications are?Two influential thinkers - Michael Pollan in the USA and Joanna Blythman in Britain - have written books that, at a time when food choices and dietary advice seem ever more complicated, offer a cry for simplicity. The most populous nation on the planet - China - is undergoing its own rapid transition. Could the glamour of the western diet really threaten such an ancient and unique food culture?Sheila talks to Michael, Joanna and the food writer and expert on Chinese food, Fuchsia Dunlop, about the food that we eat.Producer: Rich Ward.

Who makes sure our food is safe and how? A report on Britain's food safety net. The Food Standards Agency is reviewing who makes sure our food is safe and how that work is carried out. Currently the UK's 434 local authorities employ 2800 people to police our food. With with austerity measures underway there's now less money to spend on those services and budgets for Environmental Health, Trading Standards and public analysis are coming under pressure.It's resulted in food sampling rates and the number of inspections on businesses coming down. Professor Erik Millstone, an expert on the UK's food safety system, believes this could result in an increase in risk from food borne illness. Already rates of Campylobacter, a bacterial form of food poisoning, are on the rise and so any future safety regime will have that as one of its main priorities. Sheila Dillon interviews Tim Smith, Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency, about the cuts, the FSA's review and if economic pressures could lead to an increase in risk to our health.Producer: Dan Saladino.

Sheila Dillon looks at how people are clubbing together to buy budget and luxury food.Producer: Maggie Ayre.

In these uncomfortable times, Sheila Dillon asks what role does food play in giving comfort? Producer: Sara Parker.

Meat-free cooking is in the spotlight. High-profile food writers are devoting books to delicious meatless food, and there are established restaurants, street-food vendors and new eateries offering vegetarian and vegan fare to diners of all stripes. Is it time for all restaurants and cafes to offer fantastic vegetarian food that doesn't feel like an 'add-on' to the menu?In this edition of the Food Programme, Sheila Dillon asks if the British public are increasingly opening their minds to the possibilities of a complete plate of food with no meat? The Food Programme's Carnivore-in-Chief Tim Hayward embarks on a mission to experience what vegetable, pulse and grain can offer.Along the way meet Yotam Ottolenghi, Denis Cotter and encounter a flower-strewn van, some perplexed football fans and 'pasta' made from radishes.Producer: Rich Ward.

The trouble with chocolate. Sheila Dillon explains why supplies of cocoa around the world are facing a challenging future. Producer: Maggie Ayre.