How is AI influencing innovation in the food industry? In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded live at our event at Olympia in London, we try to map out the full picture.Our guest speaker is Alberto Prado, former Global Head of R&D Digital & Partnerships at Unilever.Alberto believes the food industry is facing the most volatile, fast-moving, expensive and demanding environment it has ever operated in. But, he argues, the tools it's using to respond are largely unchanged since the 1980s.He maps out the full picture - what AI is already doing inside large FMCG organisations, the five barriers he believes are getting in the way, and why he argues companies that treat AI as infrastructure rather than a feature, will be shaping this industry for the next decade.His argument is that most food businesses are using AI to write better emails and build slightly faster dashboards, while mistaking that for transformation.If this has whet your appetite for next year’s Food Matters Live events - you can already register your interest to partner with us in London and Rotterdam. Just head to foodmatterslive.com

When a female consumer walks into a shop asking for help with their hormones, their sleep or their fertility, how confident can they be that what they're sold is actually backed by evidence?It's a question a growing wave of informed, sceptical consumers is now asking louder than ever.In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, recorded at our London event in 2026, we have a frank conversation about women’s health and what evidence-based retail actually looks like from the inside. We hear the case made for personalised nutrition - not as a premium niche, but as a genuine public health opportunity - and learn about one of the most quietly significant shifts in women's supplement science: the move from folic acid to methylated folate in prenatal products.If this has whet your appetite for next year’s Food Matters Live events - you can already register your interest to partner with us in London and Rotterdam. Just head to foodmatterslive.com

In this episode, we enter the Flavour and Colour Lab at Food Matters Live London 2026.

Recorded live on stage at Food Matters Live, at London's Olympia London, this is the session that opened the whole event, and it set the tone perfectly.

In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, we explore the NPD Discovery Zone at Food Matters Live in London's Olympia.It's the section of the show floor where the next generation of food ingredients and technology is being shown for the first time. Through four conversations with four companies, we try to answer one question: where will the food of the future actually come from?We learn about turning CO₂ directly into food ingredients, recovering high-protein, high-fibre ingredients from the side-stream of the brewing industry, an automated harvester that recovers broccoli stems left in the field after harvest, and we meet the people behind a food lifecycle management software that brings NPD, finance, and technical teams onto one platform from concept to launch. Food Matters Live brings together the food and drink industry's brightest minds across innovation, sustainability, health, and technology. Find out more and register for upcoming events on our website.

Recorded live on the floor of Food Matters Live at Olympia, London, this episode is a snapshot of the conversations happening right now across the food industry.We catch up with speakers fresh from the stage or on their stand at the event: a food historian making the case for forgotten ingredients, a Michelin-starred chef turning industrial waste into meal kits, a consumer researcher on why flavour will always win, and two researchers pushing back on the way we talk about ultra-processed food.We hear from food historian Annie Grey on what sourdough bread actually tells us about class, why 'authenticity' is a dirty word in food marketing, and the forgotten British ingredients that deserve a comebackFrank Lantz, Michelin-starred chef and founder of Uhhmami on the waste he witnessed in professional kitchens, and why upcycled sunflower protein might be one of the most practical sustainability solutions on the market right nowAnd researchers Chris Bryant and Jules Griffin debate UPF.Food Matters Live brings together the food and drink industry's brightest minds across innovation, sustainability, health, and technology. Find out more and register for upcoming events on our website.

in this episode, we’re bringing together four of the most compelling talks from our archive, each focused on a different aspect of the same issue - sustainability in food production.We hear about a breathing cultivation system that captures carbon dioxide from any industrial source and converts it directly into microalgae-based food ingredients.We get into the science of upcycling food, that’s ingredients that would otherwise leave the food system entirely, given a second life in something people actually buy and eat.And we get into the detail of the food industry's net zero targets, what they are and how to get there.it’s clear there’s still work to do across the whole food chain. None of this is solved. But all of it is moving, and faster than the headlines often suggest.

This episode brings together four conversations on the topic of GLP-1 the science, the market data, the human impact, and the long-term strategic picture.We hear from scientists, market strategists, clinicians and food innovators on what GLP-1 actually means for the food industry, and what it means for the people eating differently because of it.Some market data suggests households on GLP-1 medications are spending 6% less on food overall. The consumer segment using these drugs in the UK is already roughly the same size as the vegan and vegetarian market.How the food industry responds to this disruptive influence remains an open question, although serious moves are already being made.

When did healthy become synonymous with sacrifice? And is that finally starting to change?Consumer expectations have shifted dramatically. Protein-enriched yoghurts, fibre-packed snacks and gut health dairy products are no longer niche, they're mainstream. But the challenge of giving consumers what they want is no small one.In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership with AGRANA Fruit, we unpack both the trends and the technical realities behind functional nutrition in dairy, ice cream and beverages. We explore the concept of permissible indulgence, the technical challenge of creating fruit concentrates that maintain their flavour in the final product, and why clean label isn't just about removing E-numbers.AGRANA Fruit will be at Food Matters Live in London on 3rd and 4th June. Visit foodmatterslive.com to register.AGRANA FruitAGRANA Fruit offers a wide range of creative and innovative solutions for the food and beverage industry. The fruit solutions deliver high quality fruit, which is expertly prepared to be used in the dairy, ice cream, bakery, food service and beverage industries. Our product range includes fruit preparations, brown flavor preparations, preparations with inclusions, cereals, grains & seeds, savory preparations, sauces & toppings, syrups & smoothie bases, and frozen fruits. We have a truly global presence with 26 production sites on all continents. AGRANA Fruit’s product development work incorporates the latest global nutritional and health trends. AGRANA Fruit is part of the AGRANA Group - an internationally oriented Austrian company which converts agricultural raw materials into high-quality foods and numerous industrial intermediate products.

For every manufacturer trying to reduce saturated fat, cut sugar or lower their carbon footprint, there's a version of the same conversation: yes, but will it still taste right? That question is where most reformulation projects live or die.The pressure on food manufacturers has never been more multidirectional. HFSS compliance, sustainability targets, cost of living, supply chain volatility, fluctuating cocoa prices - and through all of it, the non-negotiable that overrides everything else: if it doesn't taste good, no one will buy it twice. The question is how to take things out without taking away what consumers love?In this episode of the Food Matters Live podcast, made in partnership with AAK, we explore what "less is more" actually looks like in practice. And we learn about some extraordinary solutions. From a butter replacer with a carbon footprint one eighth that of butter, to products designed specifically to reduce unplanned downtime on confectionery lines.AAK will be at Food Matters Live in London on June 3rd and 4th June.AAKAAK are experts in plant-based oils and fats, the value-adding ingredients in many products people love to consume. They make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable. At the heart of AAK’s offer is Customer Co-Development, combining their desire to understand what Making Better Happen™ means for each customer, with the unique flexibility of their production assets, and deep knowledge of products and industries, including Chocolate & Confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Plant-based Foods, Special Nutrition, Foodservice, and Personal Care. Meet AAK at Food Matters Live in Ascot and Dublin where they will be showcasing their innovative ingredient solutions in their technical tasting and insight session.