Post-Pandemic Grocery featuring an exclusive interview with Serge Boulanger, SVP Metro

Welcome to the The Food Professor podcast episode 32, back from our brief summer hiatus!  I’m Michael LeBlanc, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois!We’re back and we have a very special guest, Serge Boulanger, Senior Vice President Procurement & Corporate Brands at Metro Inc.,  BTW, be sure and check out our bonus episode  with my interview with Vice President and Director, Metro’s Corporate Brands, Marie-France Gibson and Paula DeaneSerge talks about his rich background in marketing, sourcing and grocery, the brand and banner strategies for Metro, eCommerce expansion, dealing with pandemic and what /how Metro’s experiences during the COVID era has changed the way they operate and approach the business that is relentlessly customer focussed.We have a whole new segment ….Trying Stuff…though we need a better title so if anyone has any ideas.In this episode we cover off the latest research from the Agri-Foods lab looking into Canadians attitudes about produceWe talk about the federal Election and food/affordability issues, the cost of the tri-fecta - the spook point around beef, pork and chicken, and then we cook and review our very first product, Nabai foods Eggs!Note: this product was given to us by the great folks at Nabati, but we are receiving no compensation for this review and are under no obligations related to the testing or results of the test.If you are a brand and would like us to try your product please reach out to Michael via LinkedIn or on [email protected] ******If you liked what you heard you can follow us on Apple iTunes , Spotify or your favourite podcast platform, please rate and review, and be sure and recommend to a friend or colleague in the grocery, foodservice,  or restaurant industry.    I’m Michael LeBlanc, producer and host of The Voice of Retail podcast and a bunch of other stuff, and I’m Sylvain Charlebois! About UsDr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and a Professor in Food Distribution and Policy in the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located at Dalhousie University.Known as “The Food Professor”, his current research interest lies in the broad area of food distribution, security and safety. He is one of the world’s most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability with over 775 published peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Charlebois is also an editor for the prestigious Trends in Food Science Technology journal. He co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries and which is the most listened Canadian management podcast in Canada. Every year since 2012, he has published the now highly anticipated Canadian Food Price Report, which provides an overview of food price trends for the coming year. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, nationally as well as internationally. He has testified on several occasions before parliamentary committees on food policy-related issues as an expert witness. He has been asked to act as an advisor on food and agricultural policies in many Canadian provinces and other countries.With extensive experience collaborating with businesses, governments, and NGOs, Dr. Charlebois combines academic rigor with practical expertise, making him one of the most influential voices in the global agri-food landscape. His work continues to advance the understanding of food systems, fostering innovation and resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. In 2025, he received the prestigious Charles III medal recognizing his tremendous work in informing Canadians about food issues. Michael LeBlanc is a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and media entrepreneur. Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions hosted senior retail executive on-stage in 1:1 interviews worldwide. Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including The Remarkable Retail Podcast, The Voice of Retail, The Food Professor, The FEED powered by Loblaw and the Global eCommerce Leaders podcast. He has been recognized by the National Retail Federation (NRF) as a global Top Retail Voice for 2025 and 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.