The Food Professor

This episode of The Food Professor Podcast spans food policy, pricing, and restaurant technology. Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois unpack Prairie farmer sentiment, Canada–U.S. trade tensions, the potential painful future of CUSMA, and the fiscal cost grocery rebates versus removing GST on food. The hosts also examine earlier comments from Mark Wiseman, Canada’s incoming Ambassador to the United States, and his critical views on supply management. The episode features an in-depth interview with Deborah Matteliano Simeoni, Global Head of Restaurants at Amazon Web Services, on AI, drive-thrus, loyalty, and QSR transformation.

Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois explore Canada’s evolving agri-food landscape, from renewed trade with China and Davos policy signals to alarming food inflation trends. The episode’s centerpiece is an interview with Deleo de Leonardis, CEO and Co-Founder of Purity IQ, who explains why basic identity testing is no longer enough to protect consumers from food fraud. Advanced authenticity testing, she argues, is becoming essential for trust in global food systems.

The Food Professor Podcast opens 2026 with a timely mix of food industry analysis and inspiration. Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois examine restaurant closures projections, dairy disruptions, vitamin D fortification, and 2026 food predictions, and the topsy-turvy new U.S. Food Pyramid before welcoming Roxanne Joyal, Founder and CEO of &Back Coffee. Joyal shares how she built a woman-owned, B2B-first coffee company that connects workplaces to ethical sourcing, women farmers, and long-term social impact

In this episode Michael and Sylvain unpack food inflation trends, the fallout from Canada’s Food Price Report, instability in Canada’s chicken supply chain, and a series of Tump tariff and trade ripple effects including a $15 billion dollar bailout for U.S. farmers. Then recorded live at the Coffee Association of Canada conference they welcome Carman Allison, Vice President, NIQ Canada, who delivers rich data on coffee inflation, consumer vulnerability, demographic shifts, multicultural buying patterns, GLP-1 demand impacts, and growth opportunities for retailers and brands.

The Food Professor Podcast welcomes Ransom Hawley, CEO of Caddle, for a compelling deep dive into how GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are transforming Canadian food consumption. Hawley shares exclusive insights revealing a surge in GLP-1 usage, a shift from diabetes management to weight loss, and dramatic declines in snacking, alcohol and sugary beverages. Meanwhile, demand for protein-rich and functional foods is rising fast. Michael and Sylvain explore why this trend may become the most disruptive force shaping food retail and restaurants in the decade ahead.

In part one of this exclusive two-episode conversation, Sylvain and Michael drop in for a visit with Michael Medline, (now) former President & CEO of Empire/Sobeys, in what unexpectedly became his final interview in the role. Medline reflects on transforming the national grocer, from revitalizing store networks to modernizing data and digital capabilities, while navigating crises from COVID to supply chain disruptions. Sylvain and Michael also unpack timely food-industry news—from beef and chicken supply pressures to cottage cheese trends and Canadian food safety oversight.

On this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael and Sylvain welcome back Rob Sengotta, chef and co-founder of Von Slick’s Finishing Touch, the award-winning Manitoba company redefining butter. Rob shares how his culinary roots and Dragon’s Den debut helped shape a growing Canadian brand now expanding from Thunder Bay to Vancouver Island. Plus, Sylvain reports from Colombia on rural food economies, cloned-meat regulation, Canada’s food-price outlook, and why transparency—not technology—remains the real ingredient for trust in our food system.