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 - Split Red Lentils, Tea, Bubblegum & Chewing Gum
Season 15 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/29/2018
Jimmy Doherty visits Sri Lanka to reveal the extraordinary lengths to which manufacturers go in order to split red lentils, and asks why they bother with this process. Kate Quilton learns why the way tea is drunk can affect its taste, and Matt Tebbutt finds out the difference between bubblegum and chewing gum.
#2 - London Dry Gin, Macadamia Nuts, Double Dipping
Season 14 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/18/2018
Jimmy Doherty asks what makes a London dry gin a London dry gin. He also finds out about a threat to British juniper berries that could spell the end of gin's recent resurgence. Kate Quilton heads to tropical Hawaii to find out why macadamia nuts aren't sold in their shells. She ropes in some Hawaiian muscle in the Big Island shipyards to help crack the case. At a Food Unwrapped party, Matt Tebbutt grosses out the crew with his notorious habit of double dipping: going back for a second dip in a communal salsa with a tortilla chip that's already been in his mouth. In a laboratory, Matt investigates what germs he may be transferring to the dips, and whether he needs to change his mucky ways.
#3 - Pearls, Rainbow Ham, Butterflies
Season 14 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/25/2018
Matt Tebbutt visits China to find out how they maximise the chances of finding pearls, and helps to cultivate them from a surprising creature that is definitely not an oyster! Meanwhile, Kate Quilton investigates whether it is safe to eat sliced ham that has developed a weird rainbow pattern, and discovers a bizarre connection between the meat and butterflies.
#4 - Papaya, Tuna, Growing Fish, Ice Cubes
Season 14 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/2/2018
Jimmy Doherty wants to know why jelly won't set if chopped papaya is added to it, so he visits South Africa and discovers that the exotic fruit contains enzymes that can also help tenderise meat. In Hawaii, Kate Quilton visits America's only tuna auction to find out why some fish have dangerous levels of mercury, while others don't. She also visits a groundbreaking tech start-up in San Francisco that hopes to feed the world by growing fish flesh in a dish. Matt Tebbutt finds out why homemade ice cubes are cloudy, when the ones bought in shops are clear.
#5 - Sugar Tax, Sliced Bread, Chicken Breasts
Season 14 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/9/2018
Jimmy Doherty investigates the new sugar tax, and finds out how manufacturers have responded by reducing the sugar in some of our favourite brands. But what exactly are they adding to keep the flavours the same? Kate Quilton asks why some sliced bread falls apart when it's buttered, while other sliced loaves stay firm. Kingsmill reveal the secret baker's trick, and it's all about bubbles! Meanwhile, Matt Tebbutt has noticed that strange white stripes are appearing more and more often on chicken breasts, and finds out why in Italy.
#6 - Drinking Coffee, Kombucha, Beef Steak
Season 14 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/16/2018
Jimmy Doherty investigates the popular belief that coffee can sober people up and also looks into new research linking consumption of the beverage and a reduced risk of liver disease. In San Francisco, Kate Quilton investigates trendy new drink kombucha, while Matt Tebbutt examines why supermarket labels don't say which cut of beef thin-cut steaks come from.
#7 - 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.
#8 - Poppy Seeds, Cooking Oil, Ancient Grain Bread
Season 15 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/8/2018
Jimmy Doherty finds out if eating too many poppy seeds could make him fail a drugs test. Kate Quilton learns the consequences of tipping your waste cooking oil down the drain. And Matt Tebbutt has a Sicilian bake-off with increasingly popular ancient grain bread.
#9 - Oregano, Peanut Allergies, Ribena
Season 15 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/15/2018
Jimmy Doherty travels to Turkey on the trail of a surprising food fraud: oregano. Kate Quilton investigates the worrying rise in peanut allergies. And Matt Tebbutt traces the elusive British blackcurrant from the field to the Ribena factory.
#10 - Baby Rice, Beef Burgers, Sushi
Season 15 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/22/2018
Matt Tebbutt investigates concerns about levels of naturally occurring arsenic in baby rice products, Jimmy Doherty examines Marks & Spencer's claim that they can trace all their beefburgers back to the cow, and Kate Quilton find out whether a parasite could be hiding in sushi.
#11 - Sweet Piquante Peppers, The Plastic Crisis, Yoghurt
Season 14 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/11/2018
Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt unveil more secrets about the world of mass-produced food. Jimmy heads to South Africa on the trail of sweet piquante peppers and discovers a curious case that allow companies to effectively own a fruit or vegetable, while Kate looks into Britain's plastic crisis and discovers one type of very common food packaging that can't be recycled. Matt is in Germany to investigate a new type of yoghurt that claims to be full of fibre, but doesn't have any bits in it.
Watch Now:Amazon
#12 - Soft-shell Crab, Blue Dye, Pork Pies
Season 15 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/12/2018
Jimmy Doherty is in the US state of Maryland to find out why soft-shell crab is such a delicacy, Kate Quilton asks what in nature provides the bright blue dye used in sweets and Matt Tebbutt reveals why there is jelly in pork pies and the lengths scientists go to in order to put it there.
#13 - Malt, Caviar, Muesli
Season 15 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/19/2018
Kate Quilton investigates malt, revealing how one of the unsung heroes of the kitchen cupboard is produced, while Jimmy Doherty follows the trail from Russia to Ramsgate to discover why caviar is so expensive and Matt Tebbutt examines what goes into muesli.
#14 - Kippers, Gherkins, Rice Cakes
Season 15 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/26/2018
Jimmy Doherty sets out to learn how kippers are produced, and finds out why this nutritious smoked fish is no longer a breakfast favourite, while Kate Quilton is in Germany to investigate gherkins, discovering a space-age machine that can pickle food in seconds. Matt Tebbutt and Helen Lawal try to discover why rice cakes are white when they are made of brown rice.
#15 - 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.
#16 - Baked Beans, Stinky Cheese, Diet Champagne
Season 15 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/10/2018
Are baked beans baked? If stinky cheese smells so bad why does it taste so good? And Matt gets the skinny on diet champagne.
#17 - Coconut Shortage, Compostable Plastic, the Macaron
Season 16 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/18/2019
Jimmy Doherty finds out how Sri Lanka is coping with a looming coconut shortage, while Kate Quilton discovers whether compostables could be the answer to worldwide plastic pollution problem, and Matt Tebbutt is in Paris to learn why the macaron has such a hefty price tag.
#18 - Pizza, Shrimp Shells, Salted Caramel
Season 16 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/25/2019
Kate discovers a potentially life-saving property of shrimp shells. Jimmy finds out the surprising truth about pizza prices. Matt investigates salted caramel.
#19 - Hen's Eggs, Beer Bubbles, Supermarket Burgers
Season 16 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/1/2019
Kate uncovers something surprising about small hens' eggs. Plus: why can't you eat supermarket burgers pink? And where do the bubbles in beer come from?
#20 - Camel Milk, Fresh Pasta, Value Ranges
Season 16 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/8/2019
How do you milk a camel? Kate investigates, and explores camel milk's rising popularity. How does supermarket fresh pasta last so long? And should we buy supermarkets' standard products or value ones?
#21 - Marmite, Plastic, Custard
Season 12 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/20/2017
Food Unwrapped returns with Jimmy Doherty, Kate Quilton and Matt Tebbutt revealing the secrets behind the food on our plates. Kate lifts the lid on the nation's favourite yeast extract, putting Marmite's latest TV advert - which claims that they can predict whether you love it or hate it - to the test. Jimmy finds out how plastic packaging is polluting the food chain with potentially global implications. And Matt undertakes his strangest science experiment yet: running across a pond of custard, which bizarrely helps solve the age-old mystery of how to get ketchup out of the bottle smoothly!
Watch Now:Amazon
#22 - 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.
Watch Now:Amazon#23 - 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.
Watch Now:Amazon#24 - Squid, Multivitamins, Clotted Cream
Season 11 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/8/2017
Jimmy investigates shock reports that changing sea temperatures mean squid and chips could one day replace fish and chips as our national dish. To see what could be in store, he visits Thailand, where squid is a national obsession. He joins the Thai squid fishing fleet to witness a colourful display of night fishing that's so spectacular it can be seen from space. Meanwhile, millions of us take multivitamins every day. Kate investigates where they actually come from, and how much we need them. At Nasa, an astronaut lets her into the secrets of space nutrition. And what gives clotted cream its distinctive yellow colour? To find out, Matt visits the UK's leading producer in Cornwall, and an astonishing algae farm in the desert in Israel.
Watch Now:Amazon#25 - Tea, Pork Scratchings, Jelly Beans
Season 11 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/15/2017
Jimmy wants to know where the flavour in his Earl Grey tea comes from. The ingredients mention bergamot, but what exactly is it? Jimmy visits southern Italy to find out. Back on home turf, Jimmy meets a man whose latest invention caused uproar on social media: instant tea, with no bag required. But how does squirty tea from an aerosol can match up against good old-fashioned tea from a bag? Why aren't pork scratchings made from British pigs? To find out, Matt sets out on a remarkable journey that takes him from a pork scratching factory in Lancashire to a hospital operating theatre, where pig skin is being used for cutting-edge orthopaedic surgery. And Kate visits the world's largest producer of jelly beans, in California.
Watch Now:Amazon