Episode Details

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 -  a handful of east coast Mi’kmaq First Nations big players in the Atlantic Canada fishery also risks further inflaming deep divisions in the region’s lobster industry. https://financialpost.com/commodities/clearwater-seafoods-sold-in-1-billion-deal-that-will-see-mikmaq-communities-own-50-per-cent

Any 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 Technologies and Spud.com

An upstream battle for GMO Salmon: https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/6186/federal-court-declares-genetically-engineered-salmon-unlawful

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 ne