The Food Programme

Fifteen years after her cancer diagnosis, Sheila Dillon asks what role food could play in cancer treatment, prevention and recovery - and why it is still so often overlooked.
Earlier this year, the Government published a new 10-year National Cancer Plan for England, aiming to save 320,000 lives and ensure three in four people survive at least five years after diagnosis by 2035. It’s been welcomed as an ambitious strategy, yet some say it has little to say about diet. References to food focus largely on reducing obesity - by making supermarkets to monitor and report on sales of healthy and unhealthy foods, and expanding access to weight-loss drugs. It also includes commitments to improving hospital food for children with cancer, and introducing prehabilitation programmes via the NHS App by 2028.
So where does that leave food itself - in treatment, in recovery, and in the risk of relapse?
Featuring interviews with:
Clare Doney, the clinical lead for personalised care for the Northern Cancer Alliance covering the North East and North Cumbria.
Dr Giota Mitrou, Executive Director of Research and Policy at World Cancer Research Fund International
Prof. Robert Thomas, head of oncology at the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine, part of University College Hospital and consultant oncologist at Addenbrooks hospital in Cambridge.
Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol
Resources:
https://mywellbeingspacenca.nhs.uk/
https://www.wcrf.org/living-well/living-with-cancer/cancer-and-nutrition-helpline/
These links will take you to an external website. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Sheila Dillon heads out on the highway to investigate the world of food at motorway service stations. Historically they have been a place viewed as a functional stop-off for a "tea and a pee" and often maligned for the quality of their food. Motorway services enthusiast Dr David Lawrence from Kingston University talks through a short history of the Great British service station from Watford Gap and Newport Pagnell in 1959 through to present day.
AA President Edmund King briefs Sheila on how his membership views motorway service food and Robin Markwell reports on the opinions of lorry drivers from Chippenham Pit Stop on the M4 in Wiltshire where more healthy eating options are now appearing on the menu. Dan Sutton from Roadchef - one of the largest motorway service operators - also gives his thoughts on what the British motorist is looking for when wanting to be fed on the motorway and argues that familiarity of brands is key.
Sheila takes a trip to Tebay Services on the M6 in Cumbria to understand a different way of providing motorway service food. She meets the Dunnings family who have since opened services at Gloucester, Cairns Lodge in Lanarkshire and will soon open another at Tatton in Cheshire. Their ethos includes an emphasis on locally sourced, homecooked food. Sheila meets with their coffee and bread suppliers as well as touring their farm to understand how service areas might also be an engine for the local economy.
Produced by Robin Markwell in Bristol for BBC Audio.

Sheila Dillon looks at the plans to overhaul England’s school food standards, from cutting back on fried food, puddings and processed meat to serving more fruit and veg. She hears from pupils, caterers and campaigners who all want better school meals, but don’t always agree on how to get there. With concerns about cost and practicality, she asks what these changes might really mean for schools trying to make them work, and what the School Food System in Japan might tell us about the nations health.
Featuring interviews recorded at Penwortham Girls' High School in Preston; Anna Taylor from The Food Foundation; Writer Heather Parry; Luke Consiglio from caterers The Pantry; Belfast Paediatrican Dr Jonathan Henderson, chef and food writer Suzie Lee; Naomi Duncan from Chefs in Schools; and Colette Fox from ProVeg International.
The consultation period for the new School Food Standards for England closes on June 12th 2026.
Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol

The food industry is predicting double digit inflation and are calling on the Government to act. Dan Saladino asks what lies behind the gloomy forecast, who will be most affected by price increases and if anything can be done to avoid the worst case scenario?
Produced and presented by Dan Saladino.

The BBC Food & Farming Awards come from Belfast this year. Jaega Wise heads to the Balmoral Show, the largest agri-food show in Northern Ireland, to find out what makes this such an amazing place for food and farming. Jaega will be meeting head judge Paula McIntyre to talk about why Northern Ireland is home to some of the UK's most exciting food and drink businesses. She also meets Eve Blair, presenter of Your Place and Mine on BBC Radio Ulster and the judge of this year's Northern Ireland award, to talk about why the Balmoral Show is so important to her.
To nominate for this year's awards go to bbc.co.uk/foodawards where you can find the terms and privacy notice. Nominations are open from 6am 22 May 2026 to 12pm 15 June 2026.
Producer: Sam Grist