Episode Details

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-waste---covid-19.html

Bottom Feeder politics; what's going on with our friend the Lobster and the U.S.? :https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/trump-turns-an-election-year-eye-on-canadian-lobster-1.5704491

Special Guest: Lori Nikkel, President Second Harvest

Is this the end of the buffet restaurant format?  Toronto's Frankie Tomato goes out with class: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/frankie-tomatto-s-gives-away-1-000-pizzas-to-thank-customers-for-25-years-1.5085089

** and others like Mandarin try to navigate their "high risk" status in Ontario of phase 3: https://mandarinrestaurant.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/FINAL-Return-to-Dine-In-Letter-James-Aug-13-1-pm.pdf

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University.

Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. 

He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. 

Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries.

With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues.

 Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast.  He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.