When we bite into a juicy apple, barrels of crude oil and natural gas cylinders might not spring to mind. But fossil fuels are the hidden ingredient behind all of our food. For every calorie that ends up on our plates, around 10 calories of fossil fuels are used. From the diesel powering the tractors to the fertiliser in the field and plastic packaging, fossil fuels are the lifeblood of the food industry.

In Fuel to Fork, a new podcast series powered by TABLE, IPES-Food and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, we expose and explore the fossil fuels in our food, speaking to farmers, chefs, food industry experts, scientists and campaigners. We delve deep at every step of the food supply chain.

Along the way, we reveal some alarming trends. Food consumes 15% of global fossil fuels and this is increasing. As other sectors are rapidly decarbonising, the fossil fuel industry is looking to food as its “escape hatch”, targeting growth in petrochemicals for fertiliser, pesticides and plastic.

We also explore the history of how we got here and how bird and bat poo fundamentally changed our food system.

What are the options to phase out fossil fuels in food and what are the powerful forces standing in the way? To find out, subscribe to Fuel to Fork, featuring renowned experts such as legendary campaigner, Anna Lappé, best-selling author and academic, Raj Patel and Nigerian environmentalist, Nnimmo Bassey.