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 - 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.
#3 - 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.
#4 - 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?
#5 - 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.
#6 - 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?
#7 - 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?
#8 - 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.
#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
#11 - 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.
#12 - Gelato, Rum, Sweets
Season 10 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/30/2017
Gelato bars are popping up everywhere in the UK, but what exactly is gelato? Is it just ice cream? At the oldest gelato parlour in Rome, Kate learns some important differences. And a gelato flavourist who's been dubbed the Heston Blumenthal of the ice cream world shows Kate the surprising reason why Italian gelato is famed for its staggering range of flavours. Jimmy visits Mauritius to find out what the difference is between white and dark rum. Are they made from different ingredients? Back on home soil, he learns where the term 'proof' originally came from: the answer is explosive, and it nearly blows Jimmy away! And why does Matt's mouth go cold when he sucks on a mint? To find out, he visits a traditional sweet factory in Blackburn, full of mouth-watering treats... and an unexpected encounter with a very hot chilli.
#13 - 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.
#14 - 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?
#15 - Instant Cappuccino, Tinned Tomatoes, Panettone
Season 19 - Episode 1 - Aired 4/16/2021
The team investigate how instant cappuccino gets its froth. Why do most tinned tomatoes come from Italy? And an odyssey across Europe explores how fluffy panettone lasts so long.
#16 - Perfect Popcorn, Blue Cheese, Crisps
Season 20 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/23/2021
New series. Matt Tebbutt visits Argentina to learn the secret of perfect popcorn, Andi Oliver looks at how the mould gets put inside blue cheese, and Jimmy Doherty is in Germany to see how electricity is used in cutting edge crisp production.
#17 - Bagged Salad, Sea Salt, Light and Dark Ales
Season 20 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/6/2021
Jimmy Doherty goes behind the scenes at one of the UK's best-known bagged salad manufacturers to discover the health benefits of different varieties of lettuce, Kate Quilton heads to the Cornish coast as she ponders whether sea salt is all it's cracked up to be, and Briony May Williams learns about the differences between light and dark ales.
#18 - Sausages, Orange Wine, Millionaire's Shortbread
Season 23 - Episode 1 - Aired 8/22/2022
The gang find out how much meat is in your sausage and where orange wine gets its colour. And Amanda Byram tests a high-tech solution for the perfect slice of millionaire's shortbread.
#19 - Locust Bean Gum, Strawberry Juice, North Ronaldsay Sheep
Season 23 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/17/2022
Kate Quilton's in Portugal to find out what exactly locust bean gum is. Briony May Williams wants to know why strawberry juice is so elusive in supermarkets, and Matt Tebbutt is in the Orkney Islands to uncover some very special residents.
#20 - Microplastics, Nettles, Rhubarb & Custard
Season 19 - Episode 5 - Aired 5/24/2021
Jimmy finds microplastics in some of our most popular soft drinks. Kate Quilton tackles nettles. And Amanda Byram asks why do rhubarb and custard go so well together?
#21 - Prawns and Mushrooms
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/24/2012
This episode explores how prawns are intensively farmed and discovers why there are often so few wild mushrooms in our wild mushroom soups. Kate flies to Thailand - the world's biggest producer of farmed prawns - to get a sense of the scale of the industry, and Matt meets a professional wild mushroom forager in the woods of West Sussex.
#22 - Vegetable Oil, Water, Supermarket Pies
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/20/2015
Jimmy investigates mineral water, Kate finds out what the vegetable is in vegetable oil.
#23 - Diet Special Summer 2017
Season 11 - Episode 5 - Aired 6/5/2017
In this Food Unwrapped diet special, Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton, Matt Tebbutt and guest presenter Kiran Jethwa cross the globe to unearth the very latest dietary trends and scientific advances in the world of weight loss. In Los Angeles, home of the body beautiful, Kate investigates reports that caffeine could be a powerful secret weapon in the battle of the bulge. Could a double espresso really help us burn extra calories, even after we finish exercising? Kate meets one of California's leading sports scientists to find out. Jimmy visits Belgium on the trail of the dieter's holy grail: a chocolate that could be good for you. The secret? It's a probiotic chocolate bar, packed with bacteria that are supposed to keep us healthy and even help us stay slim. But how does probiotic chocolate stack up against other gut-friendly foods such as sauerkraut or yoghurt?
#24 - Whitebait, Doggy Chocs, American Beef
Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/30/2015
Jimmy finds out what whitebait actually is and why it's not available in most supermarkets. Kate visits a cattle farm in America that supersizes cows and asks if what our meat eats matters.
#25 - Crumpets, Baby Food, Mascarpone
Season 13 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/19/2018
Kate Quilton challenges Matt Tebbutt to make crumpets, and finds out how they get filled with unique holes. Jimmy Doherty looks into the unusually long shelf-life of baby food, and is introduced to a brand new machine that preserves food by using pressure instead of heat. And, in Italy, Matt finds out why mascarpone is more expensive than other soft cheeses.
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