New School Food Program Gets The Grade, Olive Oil Squeeze, Avian Flu Dairy and guests James Crosby & Lori King, Crosby Foods

In the latest episode of The Food Professor podcast, we explore the heart of Canadian food industry insights, with a particular focus on innovation and heritage.

The episode features James Crosby, President & CEO of Crosby Foods, a quintessential family-owned Canadian company from New Brunswick, and Lori King, who spearheads their innovation and marketing efforts. Crosby, representing the fifth generation of leadership within the company, discusses the evolution of Crosby Foods and its commitment to quality and innovation in a conversation that's far from slow - a playful nod to their flagship product's reputation.

In the news, we talk about the significant disparity in Canadians' monthly food spending, which has dropped as an index from $339 to $248. The discussion unfolds around the contentious carbon tax open letter, debates the merits of the newly announced National School Food Program by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—a $1 billion investment over five years aiming to provide meals to an additional 400,000 children—and touches upon the emerging trends in grocery, including Amazon's venture into the sector.

The episode doesn't shy away from global challenges affecting the food industry, such as the bird flu outbreak in livestock and the rising popularity of butter as a simpler, healthier food ingredient amidst changing consumer preferences. It also discusses the financial implications of the surging prices of olive oil.

 

This episode is dedicated to SCTV's Joe Flaherty, celebrating his iconic roles and significant cultural impact.

 

Salute to SCTV's Joe Flaherty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnTjs0heRJo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPFAAGC0Jxo

 

About James

James is the 5th generation of the Crosby family to serve as President of Crosby Foods Ltd. His entrepreneurial spirit has forged the path for growth and innovation to provide consumers with new products in new categories under a better for you lens. James is impassioned to continue to provide consumers with foods they trust and expect from his family’s much loved brand, embraced by Canadians for the past 145 years.

James graduated from Queen’s University (B. Comm) and holds a professional designation with the Canadian Logistics Institute. James serves on the board of directors of Food, Health, and Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP), and Food Producers of Canada (FPC). He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

James is married with 3 children and enjoys skiing, basketball, and golf. Other interests include reading, music, and politics.

About Lori

An experienced and successful brand builder with success in CPG marketing, specializing in the wine & spirits industry. Strong reputation for brand creation, product development, packaging and program innovation.

Skilled in developing and managing multi functional areas to ensure all resources are working most efficiently.

Experienced in the US and Canadian marketplaces.

Lori has successfully developed, launched and built brands in the premium wine, luxury spirits and craft beer categories, throughout the US, Canada and Europe. 

Specialties: 

Brand Creation 
Innovation 
Product Development
Packaging
Brand & Portfolio Strategy 
Naming 
Creative Direction
Short film production 
Art Direction 
Copywriting 
Sales 
Hospitality/Tasting Room Guest Experience
Marketing Collateral 
Social Media Planning
Printing Consultation

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.