The artificial secret behind "natural food"

Future Tense

Most people want to eat better. And many of us have embraced the trend toward "natural" foods and conscious eating.

We equate "natural" with healthy, nutritious and virtuous, but that can often be way off the mark. New research shows many healthy alternatives are anything but. And our embrace of the term natural is more about expressing identity and morality rather than healthy eating. Empowering people to understand what and how they should eat is what it should be about – and one way to do that is by using a food labelling app.

Guests

Professor Sarah Bridle – Chair in Food, Climate and Society, University of York

Alan Levinovitz – Associate Professor of Religious Studies, James Madison University

Laura Marchese – Researcher, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University

Julie Chapon – Co-founder of the Yuka app

Lisa – Brisbane-based food-rating app user

Further information

Sarah Bridle: Food and Climate Change -- Without the Hot Air, UIT Cambridge

Climate Stack Calculator - A free tool to help you add up the climate impact of different food choices

Play the game: Which of your food choices have the biggest climate impact?

Take A Bite Out of Climate – resources and games to learn how food choices contribute to climate change

BBC Future – Foodprint Calculator