The Food Foundation Podcast

Anna Taylor, Executive Director of the Food Foundation, this week talks to Olivia Bailey, the Department of Education Minister responsible for school food in a week of exciting announcements who tells us about her vision for school food and how she hopes changes coming in September, will benefit children and young people.For more information on the School Food Project click here and read our latest briefing about school food quality here.Sign up for the Food Foundation newsletter to ensure you get all our news and updates here.

Nika Pajda, Head of Policy and Research at Bite Back tells us about young people's experiences of school food in England that has emerged from their latest report, Big Food in Schools.Click here for the Food Foundation newsletter.

This week Dustin Benton, Managing Director of Sustainability at Forefront Advisors, tells us about the Land Use Framework and why it's essential to help England grow better quality food, decarbonize and restore nature.Sign up to our newsletter to get all our news and updates.

Can the mighty bean change the way we feel? Plant biologist Nadia Radzman, of Cambridge University, has found evidence showing the Fava bean contains chemicals linked to lasting improvements in the moods and emotions of those consuming them. So in the final episode of our Bang in Some Beans podcast series, presenter Melissa Hemsley quizzes a group of women about the impact soy beans have influenced their hormonal health with nutritional therapist and author of The Natural Menopause Method, Karen Newby. And as they report back on a month of upping their bean intake, food writer, Emiko Davies offers them a miso and walnut paste from her latest book, The Japanese Pantry to test. You can find the recipe for Emiko's Walnut Miso here, the recipe for Karen's White Bean Salad with Tahini Dressing here and more delicious bean recipes here.Sign up to our newsletter to ensure you get all our updates.

Dr Mhairi Brown, Head of Food Futures at the Food Farming and Countryside Commission, tells us about a Citizen Advisory Council's reports on regional food systems.The findings will feed into the development of Defra's new Food Strategy, offering new insights into how national government can help regional food systems thrive – and what they can learn from work already happening to transform food.Click here for more information on the Citizen Advisory Council reports, and here for the Food Foundation newsletter.

In this episode of Bang in Some Beans, we're tackling the thorny question - does eating them give you wind?MasterChef winner, gastroenterologist and fibre expert Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, explains what really happens in our gut when we add more beans to our diet, while Hannah Wilding from Bold Bean's reveals how slow-cooking them can help your digestive system.Presenter Melissa Hemsley also hears the verdict of Food Ambassador Jo McLoughlin, who tests Dr Saliha's Bean Quesadillas recipe. You can find the recipe for Dr Saliha's Bean Quesadillas here and more delicious bean recipes here.Sign up to our newsletter to ensure you get all our updates.