Loblaw Scores with Price Freeze, Dairy Farmers Score with the Leafs, Lab-Grown Scores FDA Approval and Special Guest Kate Burnett, President, Bridgehead Coffee

Sylvain and I are back on the mic together after seeing each other and being together at the Coffee Association of Canada's great conference in Toronto last week.I'm back from a whirlwind trip to NYC and have to say I had some super exciting dining experiences….first, I visited the new RH Guest House for breakfast. Then I experienced the new Starbucks concept store at the foot of the Empire State Building and my favourite restaurant Balthazar for an amazing Nova Scotia lobster pasta.And coming out of the Coffee Association conference, we've already published a special bonus episode with Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist, CIBC, talking about the big picture economic forecast and the impact on the food industry….In this episode, recorded live in person, our insightful interview with Kate Burnett, President at Bridgehead Coffee.Breaking news…Sylvain might be back on Galen Westin's Christmas Card list! A super interesting new report from the Agri-Food Analytics lab broke through the Twitter clutter and revealed some startling stats about what Canadians heard, how they shop and whom they blame for high food prices.Next, we discuss Dairy Farmers of Canada's investment in the Toronto Maple Leafs,  impressions on COP27, and the FDA's stunning approval of lab-grown chicken! We finish with a quick chat about favourite food movies and The Menu. About KateKate Burnett is the Chief Operations Officer of Bridgehead. She has been with the organization since 2017, after moving back to Ottawa with her family. Kate actively pursued a role with Bridgehead based on its commitment to people (farmers, suppliers, customers and staff), the local community and the environment. The idea of having a Bridgehead flat white every morning just pushed her over the edge.Prior to Bridgehead, Kate worked for Me to We, an innovative social enterprise based in Toronto focused on empowering people to change the world. She held multiple roles over her seven years there, including the Director of Consumer Engagement (building the retail side of the enterprise), Director of Business Development (working with partners to support initiatives and products with impact) and eventually as the Deputy Chief Operating Director (joining the Executive team to help lead and manage the growing enterprise).Kate completed an honors undergraduate degree from the University of Western Ontario with a double major in English and Psychology. She later completed an MBA from the University of Victoria with a focus on service management (marketing, operations and customer service). She received multiple scholarships including the Canada’s CEO of the Year – Futures Fund Scholarship and was the President of the Student Council.Before Me to We, Kate was the Associate Director of Camp Kandalore, a traditional summer camp with a focus on leadership and canoe tripping. Prior to this, she spent sixteen summers attending and then working at Camp Tawingo, which nurtured her passion for making a difference. Kate has travelled to over thirty countries and has been lucky enough to have been able to volunteer in South Africa at a camp for children affected by HIV/AIDS as well as in Rwanda with youth affected by the genocide.She believes that using innovative business practices to make a positive impact is the most efficient and effective way to change the world. ​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 Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice.   He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.  Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast,       The Voice of Retail, plus  Global E-Commerce Tech Talks  ,      The Food Professor  with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext!  You can learn more about Michael   here  or on     LinkedIn. Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue,  his YouTube BBQ cooking channel! 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.