Generation Z

The Food Programme

BBC

Arts, Food

4.4 • 976 Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Generation Z, young adults aged roughly 18 to 30, are coming of age in a world defined by uncertainty. With difficult job and housing markets many are experiencing prolonged adolescence, often living with parents far longer than previous generations. At the same time, they are the first true digital natives: a generation growing up with the internet as a central part of their lives.

In this programme, Jaega Wise explores how these seismic social and economic shifts are reshaping the way young people eat and think about food. She speaks with author Chloe Combi about the cultural forces that are driving Gen Z’s evolving food identities. She also meets Sumayah Kazi, the youngest-ever Bake Off contestant, to talk about how social media is effecting how young people cook and eat. BBC reporter Emse Winterbotham lives at in her family home in London. She finds out more about the practicalities of living and eating with your mum and dad when you are an adult. Jaega also travels to Stourbridge to meet Will Griffin and his dad steve to talk more about how the generations are sharing the kitchen.

Presenter: Jaega Wise Producer: Sam Grist

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:07.3	Their company's success helped build a nation.
0:10.9	The company is such a big part of Korea's economy.
0:13.5	But who are the family behind one of the world's tech giants?
0:17.2	They often say, look, we built the nation.
0:19.2	And without us, South Korea as it exists today,
0:22.6	would simply not be here. Inheritance, Samsung, explores the real-life dramas of the Lee family
0:28.3	and their company. They are the equivalent of royalty. Listen first on BBC Sounds.
0:36.8	My early 20s was central for the development of my food identity. I was living in a
0:42.2	shared house and properly learning to feed myself after the beer and noodles lifestyle of
0:47.1	university. I was working, getting paid, not a lot on my ad, but suddenly good food was more accessible.
0:56.0	Reading Cook by Jamie Oliver and having my mind blown by Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes.
1:02.5	I remember buying a posh jar of mackerel, it was so expensive, but so incredibly delicious, with just lettuce and bread.
1:11.7	It was the early days of Instagram, but food on social media was in its infancy.
1:16.8	It was an era of American barbecue.
1:19.9	And at the pub I worked in, I was eating ribs made in a newly bought smoker,
1:24.4	and the meats just fell off the bone.
1:27.4	Some of those early experiences were key
1:30.3	to how I think about food today. The freedom to explore. This has changed a lot for the
1:38.0	generation now in their 20s. I'm Jogawise and in this week's program, we are looking at Generation Z.
1:45.7	Those people from roughly 18 to 30 years old, these are young people who are entering adulthood
1:52.2	in a very different context to their parents, or even the generation before them, millennials.
	...

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