The Food Professor

This week on The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois unpack the sharp rise in chicken prices, Canada’s growing dependence on imported poultry from the U.S., Quebec’s move to remove sales taxes from select grocery items, and mounting tensions around beef trade & import negotiations. Then, recorded live at SIAL Canada in Montreal, Karen Proud, President & Adjudicator of the Canada Grocery Code, joins the podcast once again live from the SIAL show in Montreal to discuss the early implementation of the industry-led code, supplier-retailer relationships, transparency, and the future of grocery sector accountability in Canada.

This week on The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois talk about Ontario’s new 6% milk, generic GLP-1 drugs debuting in Canada, potentially transforming household eating habits, the history of food waste and best-before date reform, food theft and organized crime, mushroom trade tensions with the U.S., and challenges facing Atlantic Canada’s oyster industry. Then, Michael sits down live at SIAL Canada in Montreal with Jessica C. Adelman, Senior Vice President, Mars Snacking North America: Corporate Affairs & One Mars Reputation Building to discuss the $36 billion Kellanova acquisition, AI, resilience, reputation management, and the future of global snacking.

On this episode, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois tackle the biggest food and agriculture stories shaping Canada—from Dunkin'’s return and dairy supply decisions in Ontario to climate policy influenced by new research, potential carbon tax pauses in Alberta, and the Bank of Canada’s POV on some causes of food inflation brought on by Canada’s tariff policies. Then, in a wide-ranging conversation, Kim Furlong, CEO of the Retail Council of Canada, explains why Canadians misunderstand grocery pricing, what retailers are really facing, and how AI, regulation, and North American geopolitics and trade issues are reshaping the future of food retail in Canada.

This week on The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois sit down live at SIAL Canada 2026 in Montreal with both SIAL Innovation Co-President judge Isabele Marquis and Santiago Stacey, Chief Banana Officer and winner of the innovation gold award. Santiago shares how his new banana beverage Ku Na Na! is transforming rescued bananas into a groundbreaking plant-based beverage. Then, Michael and Sylvain unpack the week’s biggest food and agriculture stories—from restaurant sector pressures and dairy farming harsh realities to regulatory reform, AI in quick-service restaurant drive-throughs, and celebrate the legacy of Mandarin Restaurant founder James Chiu.

This week on The Food Professor Podcast, recorded live from the SIAL Food Innovation Show in Montreal, Michael and Sylvain unpack the biggest food and agriculture stories of the week—from North American central banks holding rates, the spring economic statement, the new Canadian Soverign Wealth Fund, and global shipping disruptions reverberations to Agriculture, and talk about the latest edition of Canada’s Food Sentiment Index result, and touch on surveillance pricing, Michael’s visit to a local Montreal restaurant social media phenomonon, and follow-up on a Quebec maple syrup controversy. They then connect with Dylan Munro, COO and Co-Founder of Spot & Tango, to discuss the launch of their human-grade pet food, “UnKibble,” in Canada and the business model behind it.