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The Food Professor

The Food Professor

Von: Michael LeBlanc Dr. Sylvain Charlebois
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 Join Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax with host Michael LeBlanc as they look at the hot issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries. We'll discuss proprietary industry and consumer food related research, check out fresh new ideas and talk about half baked strategies. © 2020-2026 M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. All Rights Reserved.2020-2026 The Food Professor podcast partnership Management & Leadership Politik & Regierungen Ökonomie
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  • Sino Export West Win, What Comes Next for Canadian Ag & Fighting Food Fraud with guest Deleo de Leonardis, CEO Purity-IQ

    Sino Export West Win, What Comes Next for Canadian Ag & Fighting Food Fraud with guest Deleo de Leonardis, CEO Purity-IQ
    Jan 22 2026
    In this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois unpack two powerful and timely themes shaping Canada’s food system: the shifting geopolitical landscape of agri-food and the growing threat of food fraud. The episode opens with a wide-ranging news segment focused on Canada’s evolving trade relationship with China, recent developments at Davos, and new data on food inflation.Sylvain shares insights from Manitoba Ag Days, where optimism is building among farmers following Canada’s short-term agricultural trade deal with China, particularly for canola, lobster, and beef exports. The hosts explore the strategic implications of re-opening Chinese markets, noting how geopolitical uncertainty is now a permanent feature of food systems. Sylvain argues that Canada must invest more heavily in domestic manufacturing, modernize supply management, and incentivize green technologies to strengthen long-term food sovereignty. The conversation also turns to food inflation, with Sylvain explaining why Canada’s 6.2% food inflation rate cannot be blamed solely on the GST holiday, pointing instead to opportunistic pricing and structural inefficiencies across the supply chain.The second half of the episode features a compelling interview with Deleo de Leonardis, CEO and Co-Founder of Purity IQ, a science-based company specializing in food and supplement authenticity testing. Drawing on her 30-year career in grocery retail, including two decades at Sobeys, Deleo explains how food fraud represents one of the most underestimated risks in modern retail. While many companies rely on basic identity testing, Deleo highlights the critical difference between identity and authenticity: a product may technically meet regulatory standards while still being diluted, substituted, or adulterated.Deleo introduces advanced tools such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and DNA-based testing, which allow for non-targeted analysis at the molecular level. This approach enables Purity IQ to detect unknown adulterants and inconsistencies across batches—something traditional testing methods often miss. She outlines high-risk categories such as olive oil, honey, fish, avocado oil, sesame oil, and dietary supplements, emphasizing that food fraud is an opportunistic crime driven by global supply shocks, climate events, tariffs, and geopolitical instability.Together, the episode paints a sobering picture: as supply chains become more complex and economic pressures rise, food authenticity will become a defining issue for retailers, brands, and regulators alike. The hosts conclude that in an era of shrinking trust and rising prices, transparency and scientific verification may be the only sustainable path forward for the global food industry. 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 ...
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    58 Min.
  • Chocolate, China, Canola, Climate & Consumer Change and guest Suzie Yorke of The Little Cacao Company

    Chocolate, China, Canola, Climate & Consumer Change and guest Suzie Yorke of The Little Cacao Company
    Jan 15 2026
    In this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois deliver a wide-ranging discussion on the forces reshaping food, retail, and consumer behaviour—before sitting down with one of Canada’s most dynamic food entrepreneurs, Suzie Yorke, CEO and Founder of The Little Cacao Company.The episode opens with insights from New York City, where Michael reports from NRF Big Show, highlighting how retail continues to blend hospitality, entertainment, and commerce. From Tecovas’ in-store bar concept to Printemps’ alcohol-free champagne experience, the hosts explore how experiential retail is redefining consumer engagement. The conversation then shifts to quick-service restaurants, where McDonald’s decision to freeze value meal pricing underscores growing pressure on restaurant traffic amid economic uncertainty. Sylvain explains why this price war reflects defensive strategy rather than growth, while noting the strain rising costs place on supply chains—from coffee to beef.Broader macro themes follow, including climate data, forest fires, and their often-misunderstood impact on agriculture and food policy. The hosts debate alarmist climate narratives, the reliability of long-term data, and the risks of poorly designed policies that can penalize farmers and processors. The episode also touches on Aldi’s aggressive U.S. expansion, Amazon’s underestimated grocery scale, and Canada’s evolving trade posture with China—particularly as agriculture remains entangled in geopolitics and tariff negotiations.The heart of the episode is a candid, high-energy interview with Suzie Yorke, a veteran brand builder turned founder on a mission to fundamentally rethink chocolate. Yorke traces her journey from engineering to senior marketing roles at major CPG firms, to launching breakout brands like Love Good Fats, and ultimately founding The Little Cacao Company. She explains why cacao is one of the world’s most powerful antioxidant superfoods—and how decades of sugar, poor fats, and aggressive processing stripped it of its nutritional potential.Yorke also shares hard-earned lessons from scaling food startups through the volatile pre- and post-COVID investment cycles, including the importance of founder-led execution, disciplined economics, and authentic consumer connection. She discusses how protein, fibre, and low-sugar formulations position her chocolate for a world shaped by GLP-1 drugs, health-driven indulgence, and changing cravings. Equally compelling is her perspective on leadership, resilience, and representation—using her platform to champion inclusivity while proving that innovation doesn’t have an expiration date. 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, ...
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    54 Min.
  • 2026 Restaurant Predictions, D is for Dairy, U.S. Flips the Food Pyramid, and Brewing Change at Scale: Roxanne Joyal, Founder & CEO of &BackCoffee

    2026 Restaurant Predictions, D is for Dairy, U.S. Flips the Food Pyramid, and Brewing Change at Scale: Roxanne Joyal, Founder & CEO of &BackCoffee
    Jan 8 2026
    In the first episode of 2026, The Food Professor Podcast kicks off the year with a wide-ranging discussion that blends big-picture food system insights with an inspiring founder story. Hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois are joined by Roxanne Joyal, Founder and CEO of &Back Coffee, for a conversation that spans food policy, restaurant industry disruption, and the future of ethical coffee.The episode opens with the hosts unpacking several pressing food industry developments. Charlebois shares fresh analysis on supply chain volatility, including short-term disruptions in chicken and lactose-free milk, and explores how new vitamin D fortification rules may be influencing dairy availability. The discussion then turns to Charlebois’ 2026 predictions, notably his forecast that Canada could see a net loss of up to 4,000 restaurants as closures outpace openings. While dining out remains popular, rising input costs, lower alcohol consumption, and weaker consumer spending are accelerating a “right-sizing” of the sector—particularly hurting independent operators that drive food innovation. The hosts also examine the grocery “blackout period,” the evolving role of the Code of Conduct, and how geopolitical tensions could indirectly impact food prices, currencies, and trade.At the heart of the episode is an in-depth interview with Roxanne Joyal, whose career spans global women’s empowerment, international development, and now coffee. A Rhodes Scholar and Order of Canada recipient, Joyal explains how her work with women artisans around the world led naturally to coffee farming communities along the equator. That journey inspired &Back Coffee, a woman-owned, woman-grown premium coffee company built around impact, storytelling, and scale.Joyal outlines why and back deliberately focused on the B2B coffee market first, supplying offices, hotels, airlines, and workplaces rather than competing in crowded retail aisles. Now operating in more than 500 workplaces across Canada and expanding rapidly in the U.S., the company helps organizations align everyday procurement decisions with sustainability, employee engagement, and social impact goals. Central to the model is reinvestment in coffee-growing communities, particularly programs that support women farmers through financial literacy, agricultural training, and income diversification.The conversation closes with a thoughtful exploration of coffee inflation, return-to-office trends, and what it will take to create dignified, prosperous futures for coffee farmers. Together, the hosts and their guest remind listeners that food—and coffee in particular—is never just a commodity, but a daily ritual deeply connected to people, policy, and purpose 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...
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    54 Min.
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