In our final episode for 2024, we wrap up the year with a reflective discussion of 2024's defining top 10 food industry stories. The episode explores major economic, political, and societal shifts shaping Canada's agri-food landscape, including ongoing debates about government policies, industry challenges, and consumer behaviour. The episode starts with the week's news, starting with a deep dive into the GST Holiday.Next, we dissect Canada's Fall Economic Statement (FES) and the new finance minister's debut, talking about the impact of fiscal policy changes, including interest rate cuts, on the agri-food, grocery, and restaurant sectors. We also unpack key proposals like the reinstated Accelerated Investment Incentive (AII) and its significance for agri-business innovation.

Our special guest on this episode is Paul Jewer, President & CEO of High Liner Foods, today celebrating its remarkable 125th anniversary. Paul shares insights into the company’s journey, from its retail products across Canada and the U.S. to its extensive B2B operations serving restaurants and institutions. But first we begin with reflections on the release of Canada’s Food Price Report, which sparked substantial media coverage despite being overshadowed by broader economic and political issues, including the proposed GST holiday. We delve into key developments in the U.S., including the Albertsons-Kroger merger, blocked by the FTC, and discuss its implications for market competition. We also examine the success of TNT’s U.S. expansion, emphasizing how Canadian businesses can thrive internationally while maintaining their distinct identity.

This episode of The Food Professor #podcast highlights the release of Canada's Food Price Report, forecasting a 3-5% increase in food costs for 2025, translating to an additional $801 yearly expense for a family of four. Our guest on this episode is Gordon Neal, co-founder and general manager of RFINE Biomass Solutions, based in Halifax; turning Spent Coffee Grounds into Eco-Conscious Profits, RFINE is revolutionizing the quick service coffee industry. Gordon's company transforms spent coffee grounds—80 tractor-trailers daily in Canada—into food-grade ingredients, tackling food waste and methane emissions.

This episode features Ed Hoehn, COO of Atomo Coffee, recorded live at the Coffee Association of Canada conference. Hoehn introduces Atomo's innovative, sustainable beanless coffee and shares insights on challenging industry norms. In the news we take on Trump's 25% treat, the "Vibecession", the pros and cons of the GST Holiday and Sylvain's newly published peer-reviewed study on the Carbon Tax and Canadian Agriculture's competitiveness.

In this lively episode of The Food Professor Podcast, presented by Caddle, Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois tackle a rich menu of topics spanning BBQ, agriculture, global health, and trade. We kick things off with a nod to Texas BBQ culture, celebrating the Michelin Guide's arrival in the state. We highlight an inspiring conversation with special guest Kyle Engelman, Executive Director from Grounds for Health, live at the Coffee Association of Canada's annual conference. Kyle sheds light on their life-saving initiatives in coffee-growing communities, addressing cervical cancer—a nearly 100% treatable disease that still poses a grave threat in low-income countries.

On this episode, we delve into two new studies on the Carbon Tax, continue talking about Trump v2.0 and agriculture, talk about my visit to Amazon Fresh grocery store in New York, and guest Mitchell Scott, CEO of Cult Food Science, who is building and investing in some of the first companies in the exciting new field of cellular agriculture.

In the latest episode of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois discuss the implications of Donald Trump's return to the U.S. presidency on the agri-food sector, and our guest recorded live in Montreal at the SIAL Food Innovation show is Michael Chadwick with Quebec's Fidelio ERP system, talking about digital transformation and productivity for Canada's food manufacturers.

In this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, we welcome back to the show Colleen Martin from Caddle, who presented exclusive research on sustainability based on a survey of over 8,900 Canadians. Colleen revealed that 55% of consumers consider sustainability important when choosing products, but price sensitivity remains a key barrier. We start the pod by discussing recent reactions to Sylvain's controversial milk dumping study, highlighting the lack of transparency within the dairy industry and the differing practices between Quebec and Ontario. Shifting to beef, Sylvain noted that rising cattle prices result from droughts and a shrinking herd in Canada and the U.S., with current herd sizes comparable to the 1980s.

In this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, we welcome back to the show Colleen Martin from Caddle, who presented exclusive research on sustainability based on a survey of over 8,900 Canadians. Colleen revealed that 55% of consumers consider sustainability important when choosing products, but price sensitivity remains a key barrier. We start the pod by discussing recent reactions to Sylvain's controversial milk dumping study, highlighting the lack of transparency within the dairy industry and the differing practices between Quebec and Ontario. Shifting to beef, Sylvain noted that rising cattle prices result from droughts and a shrinking herd in Canada and the U.S., with current herd sizes comparable to the 1980s.

We welcome Zeeshan Fazal, Regional Director and Agrifood expert from Export Development Canada (EDC). Recorded live at the SIAL food innovation show in Montreal, Zeeshan explains how EDC supports Canadian companies in expanding their reach beyond borders, including into the United States, by providing financial tools, trade expertise, and valuable market connections. The episode focuses on critical industry topics, including the staggering waste in Canada's dairy sector, with over 6 billion litres of milk dumped since 2012, as highlighted in a recent ScienceDirect study. The hosts also touch on Canada-India trade relations' complexities and challenges.

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome Heidi Dutton, CEO of Lovingly Made. Heidi shares how her organization is revolutionizing plant protein for people, pets, and aquaculture, ensuring the highest standards in sustainable sourcing.The highlight of today's episode is the release of the brand-new Canadian Food Sentiment Index Bi-Annual Insight Report. Sylvain walks us through the report's inspiration, key objectives, and some of the most surprising findings. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we look at the good (and not-so-good) news for the typical holiday table, from rising costs to sustainable food trends.

In this episode, recorded live at SIAL in Montreal, we’re thrilled to have Marie-Noëlle Cano, Founder of Canoe Intelligence Collective, as our special guest. Marie-Noel shares valuable insights for food entrepreneurs and executives, offering lessons to inspire and inform your business strategies.We also discuss the latest news impacting the food sector. Coffee prices are on the rise again; we break down Bill C-282 on supply management—why it’s crucial and why it’s poised to pass; and finally, we look at the massive U.S. port strike and its implications for Canada, and congratulate Darrell Jones of Pattison Food Group on his retirement, with Jamie Nelson stepping in as his successor.

Our special guest is Andrew Andriano the founder and CEO of Flourish, who has reimagined breakfast despite, or as a result of, a challenging start to his career. We talk about the Vancouver port strike, upcoming disruptions in the U.S. at ports, Bill C-293 now in front of the Senate, which Sylvain wonders if it is better known as Canada's 'Vegan Act, and body cams in grocery explained.

In this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael hosts Maxime Beauchesne from Pâtisserie Michaud, recorded live at the SIAL food innovation show. In the news, Sylvain provides insights into the effects of Quebec's new tip transparency regulations and the broader economic landscape, touching on issues like Tupperware's bankruptcy, the impact to provincial liquor boards of decreasing alcohol consumption, rising CPI concerns and food insecurity with a Federal government that continues to lose byelections and not addressing issues within its own house that could address food insecurity.

In this episode Colleen Martin from Caddle is back with exclusive research on Canadian online grocery trends, we talk sustainability in food production, rising food insecurity in Ontario, AI & your dinner plates, and Sylvain confirms that pets are not part of Canada's Food Guide.

In this episode, we welcome Francois Bouchard, Senior Vice President of Subscriber Engagement at GS1 Canada, and we talk about the innovation of the 2D bar code. We cover the tit-for-tat implications of China's trade threats on the Canadian Canola industry, the Bank of Canada's 3rd rate cut on Canadian dinner plates, and what the end of the NDP-Liberal federal alliance means for Agriculture.

We're back for our 5th season as one of Canada's top independent management podcasts after a summer break from live shows with a fast-paced review of all the big stories in the Canadian food industry that happened since we were last together live on the mic. It was an action-packed summer!! Helping us kick off our season premiere with style is the one and only Tony Chapman, serial entrepreneur, marketing visionary, keynote speaker, and host of the great Chatter That Matter #podcast!