The WORST episodes of Food Unwrapped
Every episode of Food Unwrapped ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Food Unwrapped!
The food and science series that travels the world to explore the industry secrets behind our favourite produce, industry secrets, and how foods are really made.
#1 - BBQs For Summer
Season 19 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/31/2021
The team lift the lid on al fresco food. Does using marinades or dry rubs make a difference to your meat? Plus: halloumi, fruit salad, edible charcoal and more.
#2 - Revisited: Bacon, Cheese and Bananas
Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/4/2015
Jimmy, Kate and Matt revisit missions from their casebook. Why is so much supermarket bacon Danish? Jimmy comes face to face with cheese mites. And are the banana's days numbered?
#3 - Revisited: Supermarket Fish and Cheese
Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/25/2015
How fresh is supermarket fish, Is cheese always off-limits if you want to lose weight.
#4 - Revisited: Pinenuts, Pies and Beef
Season 6 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/23/2015
The team present some favourite investigations. Does what our meat eats make a difference? Why are pine nuts so expensive? And why don't shop-bought pies spill their gravy?
#5 - Revisited: Greek Yoghurt, Red Leicester, Ostrich
Season 6 - Episode 12 - Aired 2/19/2016
Jimmy, Kate and Matt present some of their favourite investigations, including Greek yoghurt's potentially devastating by-product, as well as red Leicester cheese and ostrich meat
#6 - Revisited: Sourdough, Rose Oil, Beetroot
Season 6 - Episode 13 - Aired 2/26/2016
The team present some of their favourite investigations. What gives sourdough bread its twang? Why is rose oil considered liquid gold in Bulgaria? And Kate explores the power of beetroot.
#7 - Revisited: Whitebait, Saffron and Glacé Cherries
Season 6 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/4/2016
The team present favourite investigations. What exactly is whitebait? Kate reveals the secrets of saffron fraud. The glacé cherry production process takes Matt's breath away, but not in a good way!
#8 - Revisited: Red Wine, Gluten, Gummy Sweets
Season 6 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/7/2016
The team present some favourite investigations. Kate finds out how cheap red wine is made, Jimmy investigates gluten, and Matt wants to know which part of the pig makes chewy sweets chewy.
#9 - Revisited: Figs, Energy Drinks, Kidney Beans
Season 6 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/14/2016
Jimmy, Kate and Matt present some more of their favourite investigations. Is there a wasp in your fig? How do energy drinks give you a boost? Why can't you eat kidney beans raw?
#10 - Prunes, Black Pepper, Swiss Cheese
Season 10 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/13/2017
Jimmy finds out if prunes can help the Food Unwrapped team stay regular. After a trip to southern France for the prune harvest, Jimmy puts plums, prunes and prune juice to the test, and heads to Kings College London where he's tasked with making his own 'poo recipe'. A global surge in demand for black pepper has transformed the lives of farmers across Vietnam, where Kate learns the difference between black and white pepper, hears the secrets of peppercorn quality control, and discovers the remarkable lengths to which producers go to guard their valuable crop from thieves. And Matt visits Switzerland to find out why there are holes in Swiss cheese.
#11 - Pineapples, Vitamin D, Elderflower Cordial
Season 10 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/20/2017
Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt present some of their favourite investigations. In Ghana, Kate learns that pineapples contain a special enzyme that destroys dead skin cells in your mouth. And scientists have recently found a ground-breaking new use for this enzyme: treating burns victims. Back in the UK, Kate meets a former soldier whose horrific injuries are being healed with pineapple extract at the Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex. Jimmy investigates the catastrophic effects of not getting enough vitamin D. He meets a brave young boy suffering from rickets, and discovers the surprising origin of the fortified vitamin D that's added to many supermarket foods. And in leafy Lincolnshire Matt finds out how a UK business produces one and a half million bottles of elderflower cordial without employing a single flower picker.
#12 - MSG, Pistachios, Onions
Season 10 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/27/2017
Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt present some of their favourite investigations. Is food additive MSG really as bad as some scary headlines claim? Jimmy visits a colossal factory in Thailand that produces a quarter of the world's supply of MSG, and finds out about its surprising origin. Kate visits California to find out why there are so many closed pistachios in the packs we buy. She's astonished that it's down to the race against time to harvest the nuts before the crop succumbs to the dreaded navel orange worm. And despite some rigorous quality control, some worms can still end up in our packs. And Matt enlists the help of an innovative farmer and a team of cage fighters to find out why slicing onions makes you cry.
#13 - Coloured Crisps, Avocados, Sour Beer
Season 11 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/26/2017
Kate looks into coloured crisps. In Chile she finds out how these rainbow snacks get their colour, and discovers why the common white potato is king of the crop, despite the other fantastic options on offer. Meanwhile, Jimmy investigates one of the trendiest items on our shelves: avocados. But the rapidly rising demand for these fantastic fruits has led to alarming reports of a crime wave hitting growers. A trip to an avocado farm in Spain reveals the extent of the problem, and also sheds light on the secret to making a lovely green guacamole. And in Belgium Matt finds out about one of the tangiest tipples on our supermarket shelves: sour beer.
#14 - Jelly Beans, Tinned Anchovies, Rum
Season 14 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/27/2018
The team revisits favourite investigations, including Kate Quilton's visit to the world's largest producer of jelly beans to find out what goes into the sweets. Matt Tebbutt attempts to find out why tinned anchovies taste so salty, and Jimmy Doherty heads to a Mauritius distillery as he explores the secrets of rum.
#15 - Bacon, Fish Fingers, Calcium, New Zealand Lamb
Season 16 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/16/2019
Can booze keep you warm? How safe is bacon? Jimmy discovers something unexpected in fish fingers. Why is there calcium in bread? And how can New Zealand lamb be sold as 'fresh' here?
#16 - Potatoes, Smoked Fish, Carb-Restrictive Diets
Season 16 - Episode 6 - Aired 5/6/2019
Jimmy Doherty uncovers the secret behind how potatoes are turned into unusually shaped crisps. Helen Lawal asks if carb-restrictive diets burn fat quicker? Matt Tebbutt finds out why smoked fish yellow?
#17 - Radishes, Pre-made Sandwiches, Truffles
Season 24 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/20/2023
Briony May Williams finds out why some radishes are hot. Andi Oliver asks why pre-made sandwiches contain mayonnaise. And Kate Quilton discovers how truffles are grown.
#18 - Coffee, Parsnips and Frozen Pastries
Season 25 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/24/2025
Kate's in Kenya wondering how do cold-brew and iced-coffee differ? News from Staffordshire on why parsnips are so sweet. And do frozen pastries taste as nice as fresh pastries?
#19 - Sunflower Seeds, Rhubarb, Sugar in Milkshakes
Season 19 - Episode 7 - Aired 6/14/2021
Matt Tebbutt reports from Argentina on the price of sunflower seeds. Amanda Byram is in Yorkshire's rhubarb triangle, where she investigates how forced rhubarb can grow in complete darkness. Plus, Andi Oliver reveals how much added sugar goes into takeaway milkshakes.
#20 - Pasta, Buttermilk, Spicy Ready Meals
Season 21 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/29/2021
Why does pasta come in so many different shapes? How much butter is in buttermilk? And how do ready meals get their spice rating?
#21 - Toast, Oranges, Coriander
Season 24 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/27/2023
Why does dropped toast always lands the wrong side down? The truth about hard-to-peel oranges. And how come some love coriander and others think it tastes of soap?
#22 - Cucumber Wrapping, Pumpkins, Beef, Meat Substitutes
Season 21 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/15/2021
The team explores how the UK food industry is meeting the challenges of climate change - from cucumber wrapping and pumpkins at Halloween to beef production and meat substitutes.
#23 - Rose Oil, Pink Pork, Roasting Bags
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/16/2015
The team travels the world to answer those niggling questions about different foods. This week, Jimmy Doherty visits Bulgaria to find out why rose oil is considered liquid gold, Kate Quilton tackles the question of pink pork - is it safe to eat? - and Matt Tebbutt explores the pros and cons of oven roasting bags.
#24 - Fizzy Sweets, Vitamin D, Mushrooms, Raw Kale
Season 15 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/3/2018
Jimmy Doherty investigates what makes fizzy sweets effervesce and swots up on his chemistry to see if he can harness their explosive power in a rocket. In Ireland, Kate Quilton finds out if a range of vitamin-enriched mushrooms could help the one in five Britons who lack vitamin D, while Matt Tebbutt explores claims that raw kale may be bad for people's health.
#25 - Lemons and Ham
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/17/2012
Kate and Matt investigate the wax on our lemons in Spain and Thailand, and Matt gets the real story behind formed ham here in the UK.