Produce Talks

With the continuing undercurrent of consumer concerns around product origin, cost, and more, retailers need to find the balance between maintaining the product availability (and price) Canadians expect and adjusting to shifting trade realities. Add to this a supply chain with a new Code of Conduct, and challenges in production costs that also impact product availability.  So what is at the forefront of Canadian procurement focus? In this episode of Produce Talks podcast, a panel featuring Canadian retailers discuss what 2026 and beyond, looks like in stores.

This episode features a CPMA 2026 Learning Lounge session where industry leaders explored the use of AI in Agriculture, opportunities and the potential pitfalls. 

 

Moderator: Steve Roosdahl – BC Fresh

Speakers:   Stewart Lepage – Oppy, Justine Taylor – Topline Farms, Mike Meinhardt – Clarifresh, Tim Raiswell – Oxrow.ai, Alexandre Carvalho –  BloomIQ

This episode from a CPMA 2026 business session features a panel of growers, retailers, and food rescue innovators who break down practical strategies to reduce Canada’s food loss and waste. Tune in to learn more about how addressing logistics, economic incentives, surplus produce, and new supply chain survey initiatives could help tackle the complexities of food loss and waste.

In this episode of the CPMA Produce Talks podcast, Sue Lewis, CPMA’s VP of Marketing & Events, interviews Canadian food influencers Christopher Rivest, dietitian Desiree Nielsen, and home economist Mairlyn Smith on how they inspire their audiences to eat more fruits and vegetables.

In this episode of CPMA Produce Talks, host Daniel Duguay, Senior Director, Sustainability at CPMA, speaks with Edmund Chin, Managing Director and Co-founder of Lucid Corp, about how design thinking is transforming the way innovative packaging is developed, designed, and ultimately adopted across the fresh produce supply chain.