The Food Professor Michael LeBlanc, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois

We are live from Montreal's SIAL's Food Innovation Show. We discuss our first day at the show and our numerous interactions with industry professionals. Our special guest here in Montreal is Marc Vaucher, Senior Investment Director at Scale AI, Canada's AI Global Innovation Cluster. We also talk about the state of Canada's supply chain, changes at Saputo and Chuck E. Cheese, and a big new plant for the Little Potatoe Company in Alberta.

In this episode, we are thrilled to have Professor Tony Walker, a distinguished environmental scientist from Dalhousie University, as our guest. Professor Walker shared profound insights from his recent groundbreaking study on plastics in the food industry, a study that has been widely recognized and published in the prestigious journal Science. We provided an update on the bird flu outbreak affecting U.S. dairy, a situation that has led to increased vigilance in Canada. We discussed Florida's pioneering ban on meat produced from cell cultures, a move that is being considered by other states including Alabama. The discussion also included allegations of fraudulent cooking oil from China and Starbucks' challenges.

This episode features our guest Chamali Kodikara from the University of Manitoba discussing her role in food science and on the IFTSA Board. We explore grocery boycotts, troubling developments around the bird flu outbreak in U.S. cows, McDonald's sales decline, Shake Shack's Canadian expansion, and Quebec's liquor board culling local spirits and the tyranny of choice.

In the latest episode of "The Food Professor" podcast, we have the privilege of hosting Tanner Townsend from Uncle Bob Popcorn in Ontario. Broadcasting from Dallas, Texas, Michael also touches on his participation in a book launch for "Leaders Leap" with Steve Dennis and plans for a barbecue tour in Austin. The episode shifts to cover significant industry news, starting with a new study on food safety that Sylvain finds alarming; we delve into the issue of "shrinkflation" in grocery stores, comparing tactics on the shelf and consumer reactions internationally. Additionally, the episode addresses the Gate Gourmet Canada strike and the implications of California's new $20/hr minimum wage law.

In this podcast episode, we are thrilled to have back on the #pod for her regular monthly gig Colleen Martin, a renowned research expert from our presenting sponsor Caddle, who joins us to discuss their research conducted for our show and audience. Coinciding with the 4.20 Holiday, this episode delves into the latest consumer trends in retail cannabis, particularly edibles, beyond traditional forms like the 'devil's lettuce.' We also talk about the Food Industry implications of the Federal Budget, latest research from the Dalhousie Lab on Canadians and their breakfast habits, productivity in Canada, the latest CPI numbers, and the future of Red Lobster in an era of high lobster costs.

In this episode of The Food Professor, Dr. Ian Lee from Carleton University shares insights on competition and Canada's economic outlook. The conversation covers discrepancies in food inflation rates, implications of the US Farm Bill, and the role of automation in the meatpacking industry, highlighting transformative trends in agriculture and economics.