Senator Rob Black talks about life in the Chamber of Sober Second Thought and agriculture policy, plus food security and restaurants in the next wave of the pandemic and the joy of home gardens

Meet Cheryl Haskett, Albert Borgo and Lisa Mina, three award winning food entrepreneurs from the 27th Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards: First up Cheryl Haskett, Founder and CEO of Udderly Ridiculous Inc. takes us into the world of her amazing goat’s milk ice cream and the inspiration and opportunity to introduce Canadians to exotic, special and complimentary flavours with her category creating treat. Next, Albert Borgo from Quality Cheese, a family owned and operator creator of bespoke cheese in Ontario shares the inside story behind the creation of his award winning Bon Secret Cheese, Finally Lisa Mina Founder of Goodums Food Inc. introduces us to her nutritious award winning bake mix, created with her expertise in nutrition science, taste profiles and grocery retail to fill a much-needed gap on the shopping lists of Canadians coast-to-coast. by The Food Professor

47 min listen

Exclusive Canadian COVID-19 restaurant research, the complicated issue of Hero Pay, pandemic on the farm: Your table is ready! New research in partnership with Angus Reid into consumer perceptions around restaurants and COVID-19 revealed a few surprises and one delight; many Canadians continued to support their local restaurants as best they could with take out, but are split down the middle whether they will be spending much time eating out in the COVID era. But apparently when they do eat out they want mannequins to fill up the seats!! New segment!! Ask the Professor: Submitted Listener Question and Answer The complicated issue of Hero Pay: Can retailers sustain it? Will consumers pay for it? Is technology at retail the answer? Ontario Farms: the new Pandemic Hot Spots - is there a solution, and is importing migrant workers a farming tradition the makes the best use of resources available? Will this result in shortages of fresh vegetables for Canadians? by The Food Professor

31 min listen

Introducing The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and host Michael LeBlanc: Join Sylvain Charlebois and co-host Michael LeBlanc from The Voice of Retail podcast as we dive in the recipe for the food, grocery, foodservice and restaurant industries, discuss proprietary industry and consumer food related research, check out fresh new ideas and talk about whatever half baked strategies are in the news this week. So be sure and join Sylvain and Michael every two weeks for in-depth insights and great conversation - find The Food Professor online and subscribe on Apple iTunes, Spotify - wherever you enjoy your podcasts today! by The Food Professor

1 min listen

Exclusive interview with Sarah Joyce, SVP Voila by Sobeys, Canada's newest grocery eCommerce launch: Glass half full & CUSMA: who wins in the food industry/sector? Double Double tracking trouble: Tim's mobile app knows where you've been.... Canada's Food Price Report goes national for 2021! Canada’s Food Price Report is going cross-country. Jointly released by long-time collaborators Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph, the 2021 project team will include the University of Saskatchewan and the University of British Columbia. “We’re going national!” says Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director at the Agri-Food Analytics Lab and the report’s lead author. “When we started this project a decade ago, we always wanted to make it fully Canadian and have institutions across the country contribute. We now have four very strong institutions joining forces. With COVID-19, it’s going to be challenging to forecast food prices this year, so we need all the help we can get.” Despi by The Food Professor

51 min listen

Cara Keating, President PepsiCo Foods Canada is our special guest, the end of tipping, impact on foodservice when we work at home, talkin' 'bout my COVID generation: Latest research: the impact of millions of Canadians working from home on the food service and restaurant industry Do you have any tips for restaurants?: Should tips be automatically added to the bill? Is the concept of tips part of the entire restaurant industries problem? Less is more: how can grocers keep their assortment fresh in a global pandemic Our Special Guest: Cara Keating, Pepsico Foods Canada Movement on the local food-farm gate movement T-t-t-talking 'bout my COVID generation: how growing up in a pandemic effects your perspectives on food; now or forever? Crying over food safety returns - where is there opportunity to improve the food recall process? Nobody here but us chickens: Canada's new initiative to move perishable food through to food banks by The Food Professor

58 min listen

Solange Ackrill, Vice President Club Coffee brews up insights on the coffee industry plus titan testimony de-brief, Voila unpacked and research on insect protein and more!: Channeling Cher:If I could turn back time: the Titans of Canadian grocery testify aka how do I get my two hours back? Voila at my doorstep - the debrief - great experience unpacked! Tackling Food insecurity with innovation: Can I sell you a cucumber greenhouse in New Brunswick? Is there a path now for innovation in growing fresh food in Canada at scale? Greenhouses? Vertical Greenhouses? Sobeys is growing fresh right in the store... (https://progressivegrocer.com/sobeys-safeway-thrifty-foods-adding-store-hydroponic-farms) and Vertical Farming/home gardens: https://www.technologynetworks.com/applied-sciences/news/vertical-farming-could-help-agriculture-meet-food-supply-needs-337416#.Xw8Ig-J2_No.twitter Pandemic Pantry: Did COVID-19 save the centre of the aisle, and one thing in the kitchen you can't live wit by The Food Professor

58 min listen

The Canadian Government gets a B+ on Agriculture COVID-19 support, pandemic processing plants, and the joy of gardening!: In this episode Sylvain and I talk about what at first I think to many Canadian seemed good news, but Sylvain thought was half-baked…a B+…$252 Million Dollars for Canadian Farmers…first of all, what is the issue with the odd numbers, but beyond that, isn’t that kind of money helpful? Next, we discuss recent consumer research from Dalhousie University and Angus Reid on grocery shopping, going to restaurants and all things food during the early days of the COVID-19 crisis. Pandemic Processing Plants - the Cargill plant was the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in North America - worse than sailing on a cruise ship - is there more to this story from a bigger picture perspective? Then we talk about smoking good cannabis, or its at least what we both though we were doing at first when we heard Sysco Foodservice was getting into the home grocery delivery business! Last but n by The Food Professor

32 min listen

Understanding the Quebec food industry with Sylvie Cloutier, Présidente-directrice générale chez CTAQ: In this episode we welcome our special guest Sylvie Cloutier, Présidente-directrice générale chez CTAQ, the voice of the food industry in Quebec, and a long time a well respected voice in the industry. We also talk about the passing of a Canadian grocery icon - Galen Weston, and examine his work and legacy. Next we talk about this documentary on Netflix - Seaspiracy and speaking of plant based diets- the Whopper Impossible burger launches in Canada. Next we talk about the stigma of processed food, and last but not least, my obsession with my latest BBQ, the Yoder Pellet Smoker! by The Food Professor

46 min listen

Assessing Trade Damage, Inflation Nation, Special Guest Xavier Poncin from SIAL and Trying Stuff with GoGo Quinoa: In this episode, our Trying Stuff segment features GoGo Quinoa, in this episode lentil pasta and whaaaat…breakfast cereal! We have a great interview with Xavier Poncin, CEO of the food innovation show SIAL North America's biggest food-innovation trade show, MONTREAL APRIL 20 TO 22, 2022 • PALAIS DES CONGRÈS Sylvain and I assess food movement across the border - the short and long term damage done with border blockades by The Food Professor

48 min listen

Jessica Wright from Montpak's Family Fontaine the "All Canadian" category winner and visionary chef Marcus Von Albrecht on the Canadian Grand Prix new product awards 2020!: In this episode I interview visionary chef Marcus Von Albrecht who has overseen the judging process behind Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards for over 20 years, and we talk about the trends he’s seen over the past decades, thoughts on the products this year and trends for the future. We start this bonus episode with and exclusive interview with Jessica Wright, Director of Marketing from Quebec’s Montpak. Jessica takes us through their new Family Fontain line of veal products and what it took to get this new brand created, into the to market onto grocers shelves and consumer’s dinner tables and ultimately winning one of the top specialty awards - the All Canadian award! by The Food Professor

28 min listen

Behind the scenes of Canada's Food Price Report 2021 with special guest Simon Somogyi, Arrell Chair in the Business of Food at The University of Guelph: On this episode we welcome a very special guest a fellow academic and respected authority in Food economics Simon Somogyi, Arrell Chair in the Business of Food and Associate Professor School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management, University of Guelph, and importantly a co-author of Canada’s Food Price Report On this episode we go behind the scenes and discover the incredible network of academics and contributors to Canada's definitive and detailed report on the forecasted cost of food, Canada's Food Price Report 2021. by The Food Professor

53 min listen

Jo-Ann McArthur, President of Nourish Food Marketing discusses her 2021 Food Trend Report plus we explore domestic food manufacturing and the resiliant food supply chain: Talking about the food supply now that we're in the second wave - some good news with more beer like Stella and Corona being made in London, and ketchup being made in Quebec (not yet tho with Canadian tomatoes!). Speaking of COVID, hate to burst your bubble but looks like you have an outbreak in Halifax - catch us up - what is going on, and what if any restrictions are now facing restaurants, bars and grocery stores? What is gong on in Nova Scotia and online food ordering - highest in the nation at 20% - is that all those people keeping safe in their 14 quarantine? Special Guest: Jo-Ann McArthur, Nourish Marketing and Nourish 2021 Food Trend Report Last couple of questions, thought we'd end on a high note - we haven't talked weed lately - lots of deals happening High Tide buys Meta, Fire & Flower buys Friendly by The Food Professor

47 min listen

Tareq Hadhad, CEO and Founder of Peace by Chocolate is our special guest, plus pandemic gardening research, Chile food fraud, and remembering Percy Schmeiser: Tilling the rich media soil: 1 in 5 Canadians started gardening during the pandemic - Sylvain take us through the latest research results from the Dalhousie Agri-Foods lab, and what does this mean for grocers and 2021? A chilling (or is that Chile) tale of food fraud: talk about the organic raspberry scandal, the scale and scope of food fraud of this sort overall, what your/the Lab's role was in the detective work and any lessons learned on how to catch these criminals Our special guest: Tareq Hadhad CEO and Founder of Peace by Chocolate! We talk to Tareq about his family’s story that is nothing short of incredible. An amazing journey of love and hope chronicled in the new book, Peace By Chocolate. by The Food Professor

59 min listen

Senator Rob Black talks about life in the Chamber of Sober Second Thought and agriculture policy, plus food security and restaurants in the next wave of the pandemic and the joy of home gardens: Keep calm and carry on, wave two crashes into Quebec and Ontario - and why is it paper towels first?!?!?!? Is the food supply safe - should we panic should we be worried? How are retailers and the supply chain getting ready? News doesn't get any better for bars and restaurants - here Ontario medical director says just close them....but Restaurants Canada says 86% of Canadians don't want restaurants shut down...and are asking for U.K. style incentives Special Guest: Senator Robert Black Grocery Bill getting bigger? Insights coming out of the work towards the latest Canada Food Price report in December? Almost ready for harvest - Sneak Peek - next up in the Agri-Food Analytics Lab research: home gardening by The Food Professor

46 min listen

Lori Nikkel, President of Second Harvest on food rescue & insecurity in the COVID era, plus breaking news research and bottom feeder politics: Latest research: thinking about plastics and sustainability and the impacts on consumers of the pandemic and research Hot off the press: food waste during the pandemic - more at home? Does online shopping and meal kits = less waste?: Bottom Feeder politics; what's going on with our friend the Lobster and the U.S.? Special Guest: Lori Nikkel, President Second Harvest Is this the end of the buffet restaurant format? Toronto's Frankie Tomato goes out with class and others like Mandarin try to navigate their "high risk" status in Ontario of phase 3 by The Food Professor

45 min listen

Margaret Hudson, President at Burnbrae Farms and 2020 Golden Pencil award recipient is our special guest and we talk eggs, California wildfires impact on the food supply in Canada and the second wave: Back to School Professor! How will your work life be different, what does university life look like for your students, and what does that mean for the foodservice industry that takes care of feeding tens of thousands of students coast-to-coast? Winter is coming. Patio season is almost over for most of Canada - what comes next for the restaurant industry: Special Guest: Margaret Hudson, President Burnbrae Farms: Nobody panic, its the second wave: assess the stability, durability of the food supply chain as we (may or may not) be heading into a second wave Lets talk about the weather in California/Oregon - how will wildfires and other challenges in California impact Canadians and the food supply Whats Poppin?!? The Popeye's Chicken sandwich is about to hit Canada and it's a big deal by The Food Professor

57 min listen

Consumer perspectives on farmgate euthanasia, fixing supply management's shortcomings, increasing cost of food and the Feds support for the Fisheries: Slamming the farm gate behind us: we talk about your latest research Caddle, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University research on COVID-19, food security and euthanizing animals: https://www.dal.ca/sites/agri-food/research/farmgate-waste.html Pigs being euthanized on the farms…bacon sales down - the thick underbelly of the foodservice industry - is no one cooking breakfast and some startling conclusions - Sylvain suggesting that making discarding managed commodities at farmgate illegal is a type of solution for at least some commodities. We have a "Bun fight! Stats Canada tells us the cost of centre-of-the-aisle went up - FCPC says their members don't set pricing, RCC says the retailers haven't raised prices: is something else going on? Some examples of commodities in the centre of the isle: Baked beans, +19%; Canned tomatoe by The Food Professor

33 min listen

We expose "Buttergate", plus Restaurants Canada President & CEO Todd Barclay on how the industry survives to serve again: We have an another action-packed show today featuring a special guest Todd Barclay, President & CEO of Restaurants Canada, a veteran foodservice industry executive who took over the reins of Canada’s top restaurant and bar advocacy association in the midst of what is without a doubt one of the most channeling times in the industry We spend most of the episode on "Buttergate" - what is going on, how did Sylvain uncover it - Palm Oil being added to dairy cows feed to increase dairy fat content? Plus the ruckus with Indian farmers. by The Food Professor

46 min listen

The hot potatoe of increasing food prices, costs and "gift" of COVID-19 and guest David Marcott from Kantar talks grocery tech trends: Hot Potatoe issue: Stats. Can reports some pretty startling numbers for increases cost of some products - what's going on here? You say new NAFTA I say CUSMA, crying over spilled milk, impacts on the dairy and other sectors of the new agreement coming into force July 1, 2020 Totally Baked Idea: from illicit to essential for retail cannabis - has the Zamboni era of recreational cannabis really begun? April saw month/month slight drop, but year over year, wow dude lots of growth! Sizing up the increased COVID operating costs: Maple Leaf says its $20 million: See https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-maple-leaf-foods-says-coronavirus-costs-will-add-up-to-20-million-to/ And Voila - Sobeys gets in the eCommerce game with a huge investment with OCADO Food Fraud on the rise - another gift of COVID-19? Very first special Guest: David Marcot by The Food Professor

51 min listen

Canadian Grand Prix New Products Award Spotlight: Tatiana Bossy, Co-Founder of Maison Le Grand: Maison Le Grand brings 30 years of experience to the table in developing their plant-based product line. With a mission to center health, healing and the planet through food, Maison Le Grand has created a line of plant-based alternatives to everyday staples including pesto, cheese, yogurt - and now, butter. Maison Le Grand’s vegan organic butter is a finalist in the Retail Council of Canada’s Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards. In this episode Tatiana Bossy, Co-Founder of Maison Le Grand, emphasizes the importance of legible ingredient lists, reaching ‘plant-curious’ consumers, and the role of vegan butter in the plant-based revolution. by The Food Professor

20 min listen

Exploring Canada's retail dairy market with Mark Taylor, President & CEO Lactalis Canada: We have a fantastic guest for this episode, Mark Taylor, President and CEO of Lactalis Canada! Great timing, we have so much to talk about, they just closed their deal for Agropur's Canadian Yogourt Business. We talk about his stellar career in the dairy industry - starting where it all begins, with dairy cows - his global experience in the industry, perspectives around the Canadian business and industry and the trends, innovations and path forward here in Canada by The Food Professor

50 min listen

Peter van Stolk, CEO at FoodX Technologies and Spud.com talks grocery eCommerce growth and selling Canadian technology to the word, exploring a Biden White House plus the Clearwater-Mi’kmaq First Nations deal: Online shopping and grocery research: 4.2MM Canadians new to online shopping for food - any surprises? Seeing the Clearwater deal - explain who Clearwater is, their importance to Halifax lobster industry - a handful of east coast Mi’kmaq First Nations big players in the Atlantic Canada fishery Early thoughts on the impact to our food industry on a Biden presidency in the U.S - good, bad neutral.... already have a negotiated trade deal....didn't hear much on the campaign trail ...U.S. might join the Trans Pacific Partnership...maybe even CETA? Protein burger wars - McDonald's McPlant, Pizza Hut ads meatless option, Beyond Meat Stock Gets Slaughtered as Earnings Miss Expectations in a Beyond Big Way...what's happening!!! Our very special guest: Peter van Stolk, CEO at FoodX by The Food Professor

56 min listen

Julie Denton, Chief People Officer at Recipe Unlimited and BOD at Restaurants Canada is our guest as we chat Supply Management in dairy and the zen of buying local: Let's Moo-ve on, the Agri-Foods Lab at Dalhousie and Guelph University issued a study on the Dairy Industry and Managed Supply - there is a lot to unpack in this work - from how Canadians are essentially paying twice, to a call-out for reform to save the industry - take us through the key findings and recommendations Getting local - study on local food - will consumers pay a premium, do they care if their fruits and veggies are grown on a farm or in a greenhouse, funny to me that people said "onions" as the number two ranked item to pay a premium for local - clearly the impacts of the recent recall fiasco. Our very special guest for this episode: Julie Denton, Chief People Officer at Recipe Unlimited! by The Food Professor

54 min listen

Canadian Grand Prix New Products Award Spotlight: Jenny Longo, Senior Director Private Brands, Culinary Innovation, and Central Kitchen at Longo's: This year Longo's, an Ontario based regional grocer, is celebrating 65 years serving Canadians with fresh produce, specialty fish and deli, and they are primed for growth with a new partnership with Sobeys Jenny Longo is one of Canada’s leading grocers and developers of private label brand in the grocery industry - and with her family name on every product, you know there is more then meets the eye behind every launch. by The Food Professor

23 min listen

The Rising Cost of Dairy, the World on Your Plate and Truffle Pig Chocolate: In this episode we talk about the background behind the announcement by the Canadian Dairy Commission on an 8.4% increase in the cost of dairy for 2022 , the process (or lack thereof) behind it and Sylvain's concerns around the lack of transparency of the data. by The Food Professor

31 min listen

Restaurant critic Alexandra Gill dishes on her tradecraft and the future of the industry: In this episode Michael chats one-to-one with Alexandra Gill, The Globe and Mail’s Vancouver based restaurant critic, fresh off the virtual stage at the big RC Show. In a wide-ranging conversation talking about her history as a journalist, the tradecraft of being a restaurant critic, and how consumers and the industry may (and in some cases must) change coming out of the COVID era. by The Food Professor

28 min listen

Top 10 Food Stories of 2020!: In this final episode of 2020, Sylvain and I discuss the top ten food stories of the year - from lab grown meat to the phenomenal growth of grocery eCommerce to the food supply risks and more! by The Food Professor

41 min listen

The Secret Ingredient behind the success of Portland's Voodoo Doughnuts: In this solo episode I’m live in Portland chatting one-to-one with Chris Schultz, CEO of Voodoo Doughnut, fresh off the main stage at the RC Show. With more than three decades of restaurant industry experience with beloved brands built on a strong culture such MOD Pizza and Starbucks Coffee Company, Chris’s passion about the people, and providing opportunities for them to develop and grow professionally rings true in our interview. We talk about the tricky business of growing a business and at the same time keeping the unique culture in place that makes them great. by The Food Professor

32 min listen

Canadian Grand Prix New Products Award Spotlight: Avijit Bose, Director of Marketing at Reynolds Consumer Products Canada Ltd.: Reynolds Consumer Goods Canada is making room on the shelf for sustainability in the household goods market. In this interview, Avijit Bose, Director of Marketing, sheds light on Reynolds’ product development process, their devotion to consumers and their long-term commitment to the planet. Across all Reynolds brands, from Alcan to Hefty, there is a clear and detailed commitment to understanding their consumers. So, it’s no coincidence that not one but three Reynolds products became finalists in Retail Council of Canada’s Grand Prix New Product Awards this year. by The Food Professor

20 min listen

1st Anniversary episode talking Canadians relationship with Beef, #buttergate v3.0, fair trade and our new Youtube channel!: Welcome to the The Food Professor podcast episode 26, our first anniversary episode! The Food Professor is brought to you by omNovos - THE digital customer engagement solution for grocery and restaurant marketers helping you deliver personalized and segmented experiences at scale. Find out how you can get personal and grow sales by making EVERY customer interaction count with omNovos at www.realcustomerengagement.com Lots to talk about this solo episode... First of all…Where’s the Beef! Latest Agri-Foods research out today telling us that 92% of Canadians enjoy beef, 65% consider themselves regular users… by The Food Professor

34 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

Senator Rob Black talks about life in the Chamber of Sober Second Thought and agriculture policy, plus food security and restaurants in the next wave…

Senator Rob Black talks about life in the Chamber of Sober Second Thought and agriculture policy, plus food security and restaurants in the next wave…

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from The Food Professor

Related podcast episodes