The Food Professor

Let's talk 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!).  What is your level of concern or optimism that the supply chain will continue to hold fast for the rest of the COVID era? Speaking of COVID, hate to burst your bubble but looks like...

Welcome to the The Food Professor podcast episode 13, the Baker’s Dozen episode!  I’m Michael LeBlanc, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois! Online shopping and grocery research: 4.2MM Canadians new to online shopping for food - any surprises?  Access the research here from the Dalhousie Agri-Foods Lab.  Seeing the Clearwater deal - explain who Clearwater is, their importance to Halifax lobster industry - ...

Welcome to The Food Professor podcast episode 12, I’m Michael LeBlanc, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois! Let's Moo-ve on, the Agri-Foods Lab at Dalhousie University issued a study on the Dairy Industry and Supply Management - 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 recomm...

Welcome to the The Food Professor podcast episode 11, I’m Michael LeBlanc, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois! 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 ras...

Welcome to the The Food Professor podcast episode 10, I’m Michael LeBlanc, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois! 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? https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/a-good-citizens-guide-to-preparing...

Welcome to the The Food Professor podcast episode 9, I’m Michael LeBlanc, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois! 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 mo...

Welcome to the Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards bonus episode No. 2 of The Food Professor! My co-host Sylvain Charlebois and I were thrilled to support Retail Council of Canada’s new product awards this year as we both are big believers in supporting new and innovative products for the grocery shelves and beyond.   In this episode I interview three of the winners with a nice variety of produ...

Latest research: thinking about plastics and sustainability and the impacts on consumers of the pandemic:  https://www.dal.ca/sites/agri-food/research/plastic-food-packaging--before-and-after-covid-19.html Research Hot off the press: food waste during the pandemic - more at home?  Does online shopping and meal kits = less waste?: https://www.dal.ca/sites/agri-food/research/household-organic-food-w...

Welcome to the The Food Professor podcast episode 7, I’m Michael LeBlanc, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois! In this episode:  Latest research: the impact of millions of Canadians working from home on the food service and restaurant industry  https://www.dal.ca/sites/agri-food/research/covid-19-telecommuting.html Do you have any tips for restaurants?: Should tips be automatically added to the bill?  Is t...

Welcome to the Canadian Grand Prix New Product Awards bonus episode of The Food Professor! My co-host Sylvain Charlebois and I were thrilled to support Retail Council of Canada’s new product awards this year as we both are big believers in supporting new and innovative products for the grocery shelves and beyond.  Learn more and see all the winners at https://www.rccgrandprix.ca/ In this episode I...

Welcome to the The Food Professor, episode No. 6 - I’m Michael LeBlanc along with Sylvain Charlebois! 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 n...

Welcome to the The Food Professor, episode No. 5 - I’m Michael LeBlanc along with Sylvain Charlebois! Glass half full &  CUSMA: who wins in the food industry/sector? Double Double tracking trouble: Tim's mobile app knows where you've been....  See: https://business.financialpost.com/technology/tim-hortons-app-tracking-customers-intimate-data Canada's Food Price Report goes national for 2021!  Cana...

Welcome to the The Food Professor, episode No. 4 - I’m Michael LeBlanc along with Sylvain Charlebois! Hot potatoe issue: Stats. Can reports some pretty startling numbers for increases cost of some products - what's going on here? Carrots, 29% Macaroni, 19% Potatoes, 16% Canned soup, 15% Canned tomatoes, 11%." You say new NAFTA I say CUSMA,  crying over spilled milk, impacts on the dairy and other...

Welcome to the The Food Professor, episode No. 3 - I’m Michael LeBlanc and I’m Sylvain Charlebois!  Let’s jump right in… 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...

Welcome to the The Food Professor I’m Michael LeBlanc and I’m joined by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois! 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  ...

Welcome to the very first episode of The Food Professor! 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...

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-...