ZDF Besseresser - Tricks of the food industry worldwide – Red Bull, Bounty & Co.
Sebastian Lege uncovers the tricks of the food industry. He is travelling in Asia and exposes Red Bull, Bounty and Froop with mango. He shows what's really inside. Product developer Sebastian Lege knows how the food industry has turned eating habits upside down all over the world. He shows us some of the global players that supply us with food every day. Some are good - others are pretty dodgy. Energy drinks are among the most profitable products in the food industry.
Today, the choice is huge, but it all started in the mid-1980s with one brand: ‘Red Bull gives you wings’ - almost everyone knows the quirky comics used by a fizzy drink manufacturer from Austria to advertise its innovative product. Today, 30 years later, the start-up from back then has grown into a global corporation that rakes in billions in profits year after year. Sebastian Lege is travelling in the footsteps of the legendary founder Dietrich Mateschitz.
To do this, he travelled to Bangkok, because it was there, in the capital of Thailand, that the entrepreneur came up with the idea of launching Europe's first energy drink on the market more than 30 years ago. One thing has not changed since then: the stimulant myth. The reason: taurine. But what is it? In his workshop, Sebastian collates his research and recreates the energy classic. In the process, he discovers that the legendary substance taurine doesn't really kick. So is there no energy in the drink? Bounty bars are a favourite classic on the sweets shelf.
Milk chocolate filled with coconut - the Mars company has been bringing a touch of the Caribbean to Germany's supermarket shelves with this creation since 1957. But where do coconut flakes come from and why is the exotic filling so chalky white and moist? Sebastian Lege visits one of the tens of thousands of coconut plantations in the Philippines. He learns: To this day, coconut harvesting is strenuous and dangerous manual labour that repeatedly causes deaths and injuries.
The processing of coconuts also remains difficult. Both farmers and processors earn almost nothing from the nut. And yet the global hype surrounding the coconut shows no sign of abating. In his workshop, Sebastian Lege demonstrates how he makes rasps for his bounty from coconut paste. To do this, he needs a humectant: glycerine, one of the food industry's favourite tricks. The product developer knows why. Whether fried or deep-fried, with rice or salad - chicken is inexpensive, easily digestible and is becoming increasingly popular.
Germans now eat more than 1,000,000 tonnes of chicken a year. And in view of the huge selection, Sebastian Lege asks himself the question: Where do all the chickens that end up on our plates actually come from? Unlike fresh meat, ready meals do not have to state this on the packaging. That's why no manufacturer does. Exception: The manufacturer Frosta states that its chicken meat comes from Thailand.
Why? Sebastian Lege travelled to Thailand to see chicken production in South East Asia for himself. The product developer quickly realises that what counts in the end is the price, and without high animal welfare standards and maximum efficiency, this is of course much lower than in Germany. In his workshop, Sebastian Lege shows how manufacturers can further reduce their costs. In his documentary, he uncovers the tricks of other culinary global players.
Broadcasting on 29th of October 2024 at 08.15pm on ZDF
Music: POPVIRUS Library