The Farmacy The Farmacy

Episode 15: Rachel and Charlie speak to Hannah Brinsden, Head of policy and advocacy of The Food Foundation; Home (foodfoundation.org.uk), @food.foundation. Their vision is "A sustainable food system which delivers health and wellbeing for all." They discuss, Nourishing the Nation, their manifesto for the next government term, asking for policy change around food and health. Election 2024: Nourishing the Nation | Food Foundation. They ask for a cross party approach to food sustainability, affordability and health, recognising the importance of food is so many policy areas.

 1:00 Introduction 

3:00 Introducing The Food Foundation

4:05 Hannah's introduction to The Food Foundation

5:50 Nourishing the Nation - the policy asks regarding food for the next government term.

8:40 Childhood obesity and health inequalities

10:10 Food affordability

12:45 Healthy Start

14:40 Reliance on food imports and food security

17:00 Horticulture strategy

18:00 The National Food Strategy

19:40 Stop the Junk Food Cycle

27:50 Soft drink industry levy

30:00 Food price inflation

32:40 Free School Meals 

39:45 Food insecurity data

Episode 14: Childhood Obesity with Dr Shamila Wanninayake, @DrShamilaW. Charlie and Rachel speak to Shamila, an NHS GP who has been interested in obesity her entire career. She currently represents Primary Care on the Oxfordshire County Council ‘Healthy weight in childhood’ multidisciplinary group and she also sits on the National Child Measurement Programme Board (NCMP). She lobby’s central government for change in policy through a number of means including her role on Council at the Royal College of General Practitioners and also through the Child Alliance group – an All Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Health Childhood. They discuss the complexity of obesity and why it is crucial that we start addressing it and preventing it in children.



1:30 Introduction and Lambing update

5:10 Introduction to Dr Shamila Wanninayake

6:30 The importance of childhood obesity in Shamila's own words

11:50 How big is the issue of childhood Obesity?

15:10 Why is childhood obesity a problem?

16:20 The relation to poverty and ethnic minority

18:30 The Child Alliance Group

20:30 Policy requestions including Free school meals for all and National school breakfast scheme

24:25 The School and Nursery Milk alliance, https://www.snma.org.uk/

31:45 Ultra-processed food

34:20 The World Obesity tables

37:20 Talking about weight with children

39:55 Malnutrition obesity

28:00 The benefit of universal free school meals 

Episode 13: Claire Thomson @5oclockapron, chef, food writer and author chat to Rachel and Charlie about her passion for family cooking and food. She talks about her own new podcast "The 5 o'clock apron podcast" and upcoming Veggie family cookbook. The mainstay of her cooking is vegetables and believes that meat should, be an occasional treat. We discuss the importance of eating together and educating children about food, cooking and culture.

1:30 Introduction and catch up - Welsh farmers' protests and Junior doctor strikes

3:20 Introduction to Claire Thomson and her upcoming ne vegie family cookbook.

6:40 Claire talks about her new podcast "The 5 o'clock apron podcast" - cooking with every profession other than her own.

9:30 Family cooking, world cuisine and culture

13:00 The importance of cooking as a family

14:20 Managing fussy eaters

16:40 Maxing out your chicken

19:30 The family meal

20:30 Claire's approach to meat, eating nose to tail

26:00 Claire's Top 3 vegetables

28:30 Buying Veg locally and in season

31:30 The downside of cooking on social media

Episode 12: Love British Food. 

Rachel and Charlie speak to Alexia Robinson, Director of Love British Food. https://www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/.

Love British Food is a grassroots organisation which promotes British food and also forges links between suppliers and the public sector to improve access to nutritious local food for everyone. In the episode we focus on the work that Alexia has been doing with NHS hospitals, trying to improve food for patients.

1:15 Introduction

3:14 Introducing Alexia Robinson, Love British Food and British Food Fortnight

10:00 Working with the NHS, how it started.

12:30 Cost Vs benefit approach of the NHS. Is good food worth it?

16:35 Dairy in NHS hospitals, developing links with local producers

20:45 Meal budgets for hospital patients

24:30 The importance of good food when unwell

27:15 Feeding hospital staff, The Hospital Food review

31:15 Dairy exports to USA.

33:30 The benefits of supplying the public sector and changes post Brexit

36:30 Love British Food in schools

44.15 Summary and close

Episode 11:   Charlie and Rachel speak to GP, author and Bowel Cancer expert and campaigner, Dr Anisha Patel. They review Anisha's personal story of being diagnosed with bowel cancer and how this has led her to writing an invaluable bowel cancer "manual" and becoming a media GP and campaigner. They revisit the discussion about meat and bowel cancer risk and discuss everything that you need to know about fibre. Dr Anisha tells us, "we need to make fibre sexy".

1:30 Introduction

2:30 Introducing Dr Anisha Patel, NHS GP, Regular GP on "Lorraine", Author and campaigner for Bowel Cancer awareness, supporting Bowel Cancer Uk and the No Butts Campaign

.5:15 Blogging and social media @doctorsgetcancerstoo and Writing "Everything you hoped you'd never need to know about Bowel Cancer", https://www.amazon.co.uk/everything-hoped-never-about-cancer/dp/1399807064

9:05 Bowel Cancer in UK and the increase in cases in young people.

12:10 FIT testing

13:00 Early onset of other cancers

14:00 The symptoms of bowel cancer

17:00 The Dame Deborah James effect @bowelbabe @bowelbabefund #nobuttscampaign

19:15 Diet and bowel cancer risk - red meat and processed meat, and the NHS recommendation on red meat intake.

28:45 Fibre and it's importance in our diet

33:30 Probiotics

Charlie and Rachel recap on what they learnt from their guests in 2023 and how they have changed their own food habits and as a result. They look forward to 2024 and the questions that they seek to answer with more expert guests from the world of food and health.

1:05 Introduction 

2:00 New Year's resolutions, food waste and meat.

6:30 Veganuary.

9:10 Obesity in UK.

13:30 Revisiting Low carb.

14:50 Looking forward to 2024 conversations.

18:00 Professional goals for 2024