(More) Death by Cantaloupe, McDonald's Cos-play, Fast Food Crime & Punishment, and guest Pierre Petelle, President & CEO, CropLife Canada

In this podcast episode, our special guest, Pierre Petelle, the President and CEO of CropLife Canada, discusses the organization's role and impact in the agricultural industry. CropLife represents companies that produce vital seed technologies and crop protection products in agriculture and public health. Pierre emphasized the evolution of these products, highlighting gene editing as a significant advancement that allows for more precise and affordable crop modifications. He also pointed out the organization's efforts to make science relatable to the public, stressing the importance of these technologies in preventing food waste, improving food affordability, and contributing to carbon sequestration. To help the public understand farming challenges and innovations, CropLife created "Real Farm Lives," a series that showcases Canadian farming families and their commitment to the land. Pierre encouraged an open-minded approach to agricultural technology, advocating for its role as a solution to many pressing environmental and economic issues.

In the news, we talk about how Canada's Food Price Report for 2024 "landed," delving into the ethics and economics within the food industry and debating the implications of regulatory measures and the grocery code of conduct.   The conversation then shifts to food safety and recalls, touching on the Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes and the complexities of mitigating risks within the food supply chain. They discuss how regulation and consumer behaviour intersect, with Sylvain advocating for better risk communication and Michael highlighting the need for innovative solutions like vertical farming.

Additionally, we explore McDonald's new strategy with their new CosMc's concept, aimed at capturing a younger demographic and filling a gap in the mid-afternoon snack segment. Lastly, we touch upon a unique legal case where a woman was given the option to work in fast food as a sentence for assault, reflecting on the creative approach to justice.

Overall, the podcast covers the intricate balance between industry practices, consumer expectations, and regulatory frameworks, emphasizing the need for transparency and ethical conduct in addressing the food industry's challenges.

Graveyard image Photo by Matthias Müllner on Unsplash

About Pierre

Innovation in agriculture is helping Canadian farmers become more productive and sustainable than ever before. As president and CEO of CropLife Canada, my mission is to support our members and advocate for political and regulatory frameworks that continue to enable cutting edge agricultural technologies to come to market in Canada.

I am responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of our organization. As an industry we are often faced with misinformation about agricultural technologies like pesticides and plant breeding innovations such as GMOs. I strongly believe in our role, working in partnership with the broader agricultural industry, in telling the positive story of modern agriculture. I am also a firm believer in the power of collaboration when it comes to advancing the common interests of the agriculture industry, which is why we work closely with our partners in the GrowCanada partnership. 

I’m energised about the future of Canadian agriculture because over the last few decades we’ve experienced dramatic change, fueled in large part by technological advancements. While farmers are facing some enormous challenges in their efforts to grow food for the world, I’m optimistic that the ingenuity of farmers and the innovation in the plant science industry will make for a bright future for agriculture and food production.

About Us
Dr. 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.

About Michael

Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc. and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada and the Bank of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, Today's Shopping Choice and Pandora Jewellery.   

Michael has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels. ReThink Retail has added Michael to their prestigious Top Global Retail Influencers list for 2023 for the third year in a row.

Michael is also the president of Maven Media, producing a network of leading trade podcasts, including Remarkable Retail , with best-selling author Steve Dennis, now ranked one of the top retail podcasts in the world. 

Based in San Francisco, Global eCommerce Leaders podcast explores global cross-border issues and opportunities for eCommerce brands and retailers. 

Last but not least, Michael is the producer and host of the "Last Request Barbeque" channel on YouTube, where he cooks meals to die for - and collaborates with top brands as a food and product influencer across North America

The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle.

About Us

Dr. 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.