What Singapore Can Teach Canadian Grocers, MNP Latest Report on G20 Food Rankings plus guest Vinayak Madappa, Strategic Advisory Partner, Capgemini

Vin explains why Canada’s heavy reliance on trade with the U.S. and Mexico leaves fresh produce, seafood and imported proteins most at risk. He also looks at why 89% of Canadian organizations report raw-material scarcity, compared with 67% in the U.S., and why the nine-to-12-month stockpiles many companies built to ride out tariffs are reaching a tipping point.

He makes the case for counter-seasonal sourcing from the Southern Hemisphere and AI-driven inventory intelligence, and for treating the supply chain as a business-continuity asset rather than a cost centre.

Before the interview, Michael and Sylvain preview the third annual MNP Food and Beverage Business Outlook. Canada ranks seventh in the G20, and Sylvain names the one lever he’d pull to move it into the top five. They also cover McCain’s expansion in India, Taylor Farms pausing Mexican sourcing, an oversupplied global wine market, rising banana prices and Italy as country of honour at SIAL Canada and Michael raves about Pirates of Coffee in advance of the Coffee Association of Canada's upcoming conferenc Thursday, November 12th, 2026

Topics include:
Canadian grocery supply chain resilience
Capgemini World in Balance 2026 study
Inventory buffers and raw-material scarcity
MNP Food and Beverage Business Outlook G20 rankings
Canada–India agri-food trade
Banana prices, diesel and monoculture risk

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is 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 2026, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.