The Food Professor

In this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois discuss various pressing topics in the food and retail sectors. We begin with reflections on the release of Canada’s Food Price Report, which sparked substantial media coverage despite being overshadowed by broader economic and political issues, including the proposed GST holiday. Sylvain shares his unique experience of testifying remotely before the Canadian Senate from Berlin, highlighting the logistical hurdles and his stance on taxing food at retail.We delve into key developments in the U.S., including the Albertsons-Kroger merger, blocked by the FTC, and discuss its implications for market competition. We also examine the success of T & T’s U.S. expansion, emphasizing how Canadian businesses can thrive internationally while maintaining their distinct identity.Another focus is the potential impact of eliminating interprovincial trade barriers in Canada, which could boost GDP and enhance logistical efficiencies in the food sector. Sylvain highlights the challenges posed by Canada’s fragmented regulatory environment and the need for cohesive national policies like the Grocery Code of Conduct.The episode concludes with teasers for upcoming episodes, including top food stories and predictions for 2025, reinforcing the podcast’s role as a key platform for insights into the food industry.Special Guest: Paul Jewer, President & CEO of High Liner FoodsThis episode features Paul Jewer, President and CEO of High Liner Foods, as the special guest. High Liner a leading North American processor and marketer of value-added frozen seafood, is celebrating its remarkable 125th anniversary. Paul shares insights into the company’s journey, from its retail products across Canada and the U.S. to its extensive B2B operations serving restaurants and institutions.The interview highlights High Liner as a quintessential Canadian success story, underlining its resilience and innovation in the competitive food industry. Paul’s narrative celebrates the company’s legacy and emphasizes its role in advancing the seafood sector through sustainability and value-added offerings. T&T Image:The line to enter T&T Supermarket was nearly an hour long in the middle of the afternoon on Thursday, Dec. 5.Jeff Wells/Grocery Dive About PaulPAUL JEWER, FCPA, FCA, ICD.DPaul was appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer in December 2023. Previous to that he served as the Companies Chief Financial Officer, since February 2014.  Prior to joining High Liner Foods in 2014, Paul was CFO with Sobeys Inc., a leading Canadian grocery and food distributor. He is a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant (FCPA) and began his career with Ernst & Young LLP providing audit, tax, valuation and business advisory services for a variety of clients in various business sectors. Prior to joining Sobeys Inc. in 2003, he held a number of progressively senior finance positions in the technology sector.Paul graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Acadia University. In 1997 he received his Chartered Accountant designation. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.He is currently Treasurer of the Groundfish Forum, a member of the executive of the National Fisheries Institute, a board member of Norcod, and a board advisor to Andfjord Salmon. Paul is also Chair of Sport Nova Scotia and a member of the Advisory Board of FM Global Canada. Paul is an Honorary Governor of the Board of Governors of Acadia University, having completed a seven- year term as Chair of the Board. Paul is also past Chair of the Board of Governors of the Halifax Grammar School. The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph’s Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded. Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre’s Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.