Processed food is everywhere—and chances are, you're eating more of it than you think. In this episode of Unfold, we go beyond the ingredient list to uncover the science and public perceptions of processed and ultra-processed foods. Are these foods addictive by design, unsafe or just misunderstood? With insights from food scientists and cultural experts, we’ll examine how modern food manufacturing may be shaping our health, our public policy and even our understanding of what food is.

In this episode:

Alyson Mitchell, professor and food chemist, UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology

Charlotte Biltekoff, professor in UC Davis Departments of Food Science and Technology and American Studies

Read our In Focus story: “What to Know about Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods.”

Learn more about processed foods from nutritionists and food scientists in our “Ask the Experts” article.

Read Biltekoff’s latest book, Real Food, Real Facts: Processed Food and the Politics of Knowledge

Consumers once complained about the short range of electric vehicles, but not so much anymore. Now, finding reliable public charging has become the top concern for EV drivers. Chargers can be broken, slow or just inaccessible for multiple reasons. In this episode of Unfold, we talk to UC Davis researchers studying public charging woes and tag along as they drive all over California to test thousands of chargers.

In this episode:

Alan Jenn, assistant professor, UC Davis Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies

Gil Tal, director, Electric Vehicle Research Center at the UC Davis Institute for Transportation Studies

If you’ve perused grocery store shelves lately, you may have noticed a trend – food and beverages labeled probiotic or prebiotic. It’s even on sodas! Labels claim the products “support gut health” or “help boost your immune system.” But is this proliferation of probiotics and prebiotics just marketing or are these microbes really good for you? In this episode of Unfold, a UC Davis microbiologist separates hype from health.

In this episode:

Maria Marco, microbiologist and professor in the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology

Learn more about probiotics, prebiotics and friendly microbes in this Q&A and test your knowledge with a fun quiz! Go to our website at www.ucdavis.edu/unfold to find links.