Produce Talks

Foodborne illnesses continue to bed a source of concern within the fresh produce industry. CPMA asked two of Canada's top food safety professionals to join us in discussing recent outbreaks, the challenges in identifying outbreaks and what the future of outbreaks may look like. Lisa Sparrow-Moellenbeck, Food Safety Manager, Federated Co-operatives spoke with Joyce Cheng - Acting Manager Outbreak Management, Public Health Agency Canada and Dr. Lawrence Goodridge - Director - Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety (CRIFS), Graduate Coordinator - Food Safety & Quality Assurance Program, University of Guelph. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

On this special 100th episode of Produce Talks, Ron Lemaire, President of CPMA moderates a roundtable discussion with our Chair, Guy Milette of Courchesne Larose, and nine past CPMA Chairs including: Davis Yung of Fresh Direct Produce, Oleen Smethurst of Costco Wholesale Canada, Les Mallard of Fyffes, Rick Alcocer of Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Mike Furi of Federated Co-operatives Limited, Walt Breeden of Oppy, Jim DiMenna of Red Sun Farms, Prentice Dent of Pear Bureau Northwest, and Larry McIntosh, former President and CEO of Peak of the Market. This group of produce professionals brings well over 200 years of produce experience, and each looks back at his/her term as CPMA’s Chairs, revisiting how the industry and the Association operated, and how we collectively overcame adversity. The group also looks at how the pandemic has reshaped our market and ways that members and industry partners can navigate the future. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

This episode we feature a panel of women in produce and recognize the achievements of women leading the promotion of produce in Canada. Earlier this year, CPMA partnered with Grocery Business Magazine to recognize some of the exceptional women in the industry. The Grocery Business article was released in the March/April edition recognizing ten outstanding women in produce. Joining this episode were Michèle McMillan with Thomas Fresh, Ashley Pinto at Loblaw and Luci Faas at Nature Fresh Farms. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

In this episode, we turn to a panel of young leaders in produce as we continue our focus on the development of young professionals in our sector. This panel webinar was held in February and featured past Mary Fitzgerald Award Winners Mike Catalano of POM Wonderful, Stephanie Lariviere of Erie James, and Ryan Goad of Loblaws. The discussion focuses on several topics including leadership, mindset, mentorship and what makes the produce industry unique to develop and grow in. Joining the podcast is Greg Ogiba, Principal of GRO Advantage who moderated the panel. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

The Suez Canal crisis, COVID-19 implications and ongoing port labour disputes have all showcased that moving product globally day in and day out is an incredible feat. There are implications when one link in a global supply chain breaks and this episode we’re talking about the movement of produce across borders, through ports and around the globe. We dive into factors and initiatives at the border impacting produce importers and exporters. Guests on the show include Stephen Devries, Director of Commercial Compliance at the Canadian Border Services Agency and Shannon Sommerauer, Director of Government Relations at CPMA. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

This episode dives into sustainable agriculture and looks at alternative production practices that we are seeing across Canada. It is estimated that by 2050, the world's population will rise to almost 10 billion people with over 67% expected to live in urban areas. In order to feed this growing population, the United Nations estimates that food production will have to increase by 70%. We explore the growth and considerations of vertical farming, hydroponics and urban agriculture as methods of furthering the sustainable supply of fresh fruit and vegetables across Canada. Guests on this episode include Evan Fraser from the Arrell Food Institute, Emma Tamlin from Raised Roots Consulting and Darby McGrath from Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

As supply chains, investors, and government all push to reduce impacts on the environment, the ability to measure and demonstrate sustainability credentials from farm to retail becomes paramount. On this episode, we widen the lens on sustainability and talk about Canada’s agri-food system including a collaborative project to benchmark and demonstrate Canada’s sustainable agri-food performance. Guests on the show include David McInnes, the project coordinator of the National Index of Agri-Food Performance, John Uhren, Head of Sustainable Finance, Product and Strategy at BMO along with Bridget Schrempf, Senior Manager of Sustainable Food Systems at CDP Worldwide.   Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

This episode features a panel of young professionals in the produce industry with a lens on the development, recruitment, and retention of young talent in our sector. We look back on 2020 and explore several themes such as resiliency, adaptability, value alignment, mentorship, and more. Panelists included Passion for Produce (PFP) Alumni Kara Badder from NatureFresh Farms, Kevin Sorichetti from EarthFresh, and Vaughn Smith from Global Citrus.   Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

With greater demand and sales on-line, customer experience enhancements, and COVID-19 protocols in place, the retail landscape has changed dramatically in 2020. This episode dives into retail trends and changes with a look ahead to 2021. We look at what makes a good on-line grocery experience, merchandising opportunities and considerations, and the new normals that are here to stay. Guests on this episode include Colleen Martin of market research firm Caddle, Mike Mauti of Execulytics, and Daniel Kats from Infarm.   Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

On this episode, CPMA President, Ron Lemaire speaks with 2020 CPMA award winners about their careers, key focuses, and the industry changes they have seen and experienced through the years. Ron first talks with the 2020 CPMA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Mike Ecker, along with Oleen Smethurst, The Packer's 2020 Canadian Produce Person of the Year. This is followed by a conversation with the CPMA Produce Champion advocacy award winner, Member of Parliament for Cowichan–Malahat–Langford and NDP Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food, Alistair MacGregor.   Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

Food safety has become a more and more prevalent topic for the produce sector and for regulators. This episode focuses on food recalls and the impacts and processes when a foodborne illness outbreak occurs. We specifically unpack the processes behind food recalls and advisories, the impacts on consumer confidence, the role and improvements in traceability, and the importance of instituting a culture of food safety. Guests include CPMA Food Safety Specialist, Jeff Hall and National Director of Produce at Sysco Canada, Tom Bak.   Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

On this episode, we unpack new developments and barriers to automation and technology across the produce sector. As labour gaps remain, the future of automation, robotics and innovation is a large focus from farm to fork. We talk about several factors influencing the shift to automation such as measuring return on investment, system integration, and the evolving expansion of artificial intelligence and big data. Featured guests on this episode include Hussam Haroun from Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Shelley Fellows from Automate Canada, and Jason Smith from BC Blueberry Council.  Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

On this episode of Produce Talks, we feature an interview with CPMA Chair Davis Yung of Fresh Direct Produce and CPMA Past Chair Oleen Smethurst of Costco Canada for our annual Between Two Chairs special. We take a look back at the last several months, revisiting the ways that CPMA continues to support the produce industry with new resources and advocacy efforts. We also take a look at what is ahead and talk about some of the ways that members and industry partners can get engaged with CPMA. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

This episode, as we hit the three month mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, we revisit the impacts along the supply chain and unpack the key takeaways since March as businesses continue to adapt and prepare for a busy summer and harvest season. Featured guests Stéphanie Levasseur, President of Quebec Apple Growers, Satri Alpine, Director of Talent and Culture at Oppy and Tammy Vautour, Quality Assurance Director at Metro cover a variety of topics including the temporary foreign worker program and labour, corporate culture, the supply chain, product availability and much more. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.                 

Ensuring food quality, sustaining food availability, reducing waste, minimizing costs to consumers and maximizing recyclability – all while mitigating the impacts on the environment – makes the conversation on sustainable packaging and preferred packaging materials remarkably complex. On this episode, guests talk about their work in the area of sustainable packaging and highlight the need for continued collaboration and communication across the supply chain to make the most sound and informed sustainable packaging decisions. We were joined by Dan Duguay of Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs, Ian Gordon, Senior Vice President of Loblaw Brands, Emily Murracas and Fernanda Albuquerque from Mucci Farms, and Scott Howarth from Sinclair International. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.