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 without? Our very Special Guest: Solange Ackrill https://www.linkedin.com/in/solangeackrill/ Vouchers for Restaurants: clever strategy or good money after bad? Feeling Boxed In? Is Box'd a solution to restaurant COVID-19 economics? https://torontolife.com/food/paramount-mohamad-fakih-on-boxd-canadas-first-fully-automated-restaurant-automat/ Something about your latest research is bugging me...when you asked people is all your hear is crickets...London launches huge cricket farm...research tells us up to 20% would be open to eating bug protein!! Sneak Peek: The great urban shift and grocers/restaurants....the shot glass half full - it make our cities younger and more affordable... retailers and grocers.think differently about what you offer? Stay tuned for the numbers next episode!!
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Show Notes
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 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 without?
Our very Special Guest: Solange Ackrill https://www.linkedin.com/in/solangeackrill/
Vouchers for Restaurants: clever strategy or good money after bad?
Feeling Boxed In? Is Box'd a solution to restaurant COVID-19 economics? https://torontolife.com/food/paramount-mohamad-fakih-on-boxd-canadas-first-fully-automated-restaurant-automat/
Something about your latest research is bugging me...when you asked people is all your hear is crickets...London launches huge cricket farm...research tells us up to 20% would be open to eating bug protein!!
Sneak Peek: The great urban shift and grocers/restaurants....the shot glass half full - it make our cities younger and more affordable... retailers and grocers.think differently about what you offer? Stay tuned for the numbers next episode!!
If you liked what you heard you can subscribe on Apple iTunes , Spotify or your favourite podcast platform, please rate and review, and be sure and recommend to a friend or colleague in the grocery, foodservice, or restaurant industry. I’m Michael LeBlanc, producer and host of The Voice of Retail podcast and a bunch of other stuff, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois,
Stay Safe everyone!!
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.