Dialling for Discounters, Lessons from European Farmers & guest Top Food Industry Lawyer Glenford Jameson

This episode of The Food Professor Podcast features special guest Glenford Jameson, an expert in regulatory, commercial, and advertising law within the food sector. Jameson's insights cover SFCA compliance, labeling, product positioning, and interactions with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

The episode starts with an exciting announcement that Caddle, a leading Canadian consumer panel and research house, has become the exclusive presenting sponsor of the podcast. Caddle offers brands and retailers access to over 10,000 daily active users, facilitating rapid collection and syndication of consumer reviews. https://askcaddle.com/

The discussion then moves to current news, starting with Canadian Minister Champagne's efforts to attract foreign grocers to Canada, raising questions about whether this is political posturing or a genuine attempt to address food affordability. The hosts also covered the ongoing European farmers' protests, where farmers expressed discontent by blocking roads and dumping manure.

Next, we discuss Metro's latest quarterly results. Metro reported strong sales growth, with a notable increase in food and pharmacy same-store sales and the successful launch of a new distribution center. Despite these positive outcomes, net earnings showed a slight decrease.
The episode also touches on Bayer AG's (Monsanto) $2 billion fine. It provides an update on the surge in the use of weight-loss drugs, specifically referencing North Carolina's state employees' insurance plan's spending on such medications.

Finally, the podcast highlights Loblaw's charitable efforts, announcing a $1 million investment in community grants to support various organizations. These grants aim to empower historically underrepresented groups in Canada, including black women-led businesses, programs addressing gender-based violence, youth employment, Indigenous entrepreneurs, and 2SLGBTQIA+ community development.

Overall, the episode offers a comprehensive overview of the latest trends, legal insights, and corporate initiatives in the food sector.

About Glenford
Specializing in regulatory, commercial, and advertising law, Glenford Jameson is a trusted legal advisor in the food sector. His expertise spans SFCA compliance, labeling, product positioning, and CFIA interactions. A recognized industry thought leader, he's lectured at notable universities, industry associations, and conferences on Canadian Food Law. Glenford's unique perspective at the crossroads of food, tech, and regulation empowers clients with innovative solutions. He's the founder of G.S. Jameson & Company, and his clients include multinationals, SMEs, NGOs, industry associations, and governments.

G. S. Jameson & Company: https://law.gsjameson.com
Canadian Association for Food Law and Policy: http://foodlaw.ca
Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium: https://emccanada.org
Good Food Institute: https://gfi.org
European Food Law Association: https://www.efla-aeda.org

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

About Us

Dr. 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.