Produce Talks

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 PodcastThank 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.

This episode, we unpack fairtrade practices as an influential method to sustainability. We spoke with Jennie Coleman, President of Equifruit about their approach to sustainability and the Fairtrade certification. We also brought Mimmo Franzone, Director of Produce and Floral with Longo’s into the conversation to talk about their Fairtrade organic banana program with Equifruit and the added value for their guests. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

On this episode, we dive into the impacts, responses and anticipated future risks of the COVID-19 outbreak across the entire produce supply chain. We feature interviews with industry leaders Davis Yung of Fresh Direct Produce, Angela Santiago of The Little Potato Company, and Tim York of Markon Cooperative to talk about their approaches in addressing these unprecedented challenges and how it has impacted their views on crisis management. We also spoke with the Executive Medical Advisor of the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Branch at the Public Health Agency of Canada to cover the measures that companies and individuals handling produce can take to keep themselves and their employees safe. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Dietitians are critical in supporting the health and wellness of Canadians. On this episode, we dive into the diverse roles and responsibilities of dietitians and how they impact the eating habits of individuals at the consumer, community, and national level. We’ll sit down with CPMA’s very own dietitian, Jennifer Ong Tone, Loblaws retail dietitian, Jackie Villeneuve, and Ottawa Public Health dietitian, Marketa Graham. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

CPMA hosts a roundtable discussion with political insiders representing the Liberal, Conservative and New Democratic parties. We continue the conversation on the political landscape of our new minority government and what it means for Canada’s fresh produce industry, covering issues that are at the top of mind for the sector including: expanding access to export trade markets, tackling labour challenges, enhancing sustainability, bolstering the sector’s competitiveness and much more! The talk is moderated by David Coletto from Abacus Data. Panelists included Caitlin McClung from StrategyCorp Inc., Howard Mains from Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs Inc. and Cameron Holmstrom from Bluesky Strategy Group Inc. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

We're gearing up for the 95th CPMA Convention and Trade Show in May in Toronto and that includes our Learning Lounge sessions on the trade show floor! One of the Learning Lounge sessions that we always love to host is where we learn about interesting and inspiring careers journeys in the produce sector. On this episode, we go back to the Learning Lounge in Montreal to hear from Andrea Palmer of Nova Agri, Daniel Terrault from Hydroserre and Alain Routhier from Courchesne Larose for a session we call My Produce Story. The session was moderated by Rick Alcocer of Duda Farm Fresh Foods. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

On this episode, we sit down with David Coletto of Abacus Data to explore the political landscape of our new minority government and what it means for Canada’s fresh produce industry. In the New Year we’ll be back with Part Two of the series with a roundtable discussion covering issues that are top of mind for our sector including: expanding access to export trade markets, enhancing sustainability, bolstering our sector’s competitiveness and much more. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

We dive into all the dynamic components and drivers behind the launch of a new variety – specifically looking at apples and table grapes. We kick off the episode with Kate Evans from Washington State University and Kathryn Grandy from Proprietary Variety Management to talk about the launch of the Cosmic Crisp apple and look more broadly at the breeding processes and innovation behind developing a new variety. We also talk apple varieties with Mac Riggan from Chelan Fresh and table grape varieties with Bill Poulos from Oppy. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

As the potentially damaging effects of plastic packaging on our ecosystem has grown to be more visible to consumers through mainstream and social media, the issue of plastics in produce has come to the forefront. CPMA has recognized the need for an integrated industry approach that best meets regulatory requirements, while keeping produce safe and affordable for the end consumer. To that end, the CPMA Plastics Packaging Working Group was established to identify efforts underway within the industry, determine best practices, and develop an industry-supported roadmap to maintaining food quality and safety while reducing the environmental impact of plastics. On this episode of Produce Talks, we review the results of a consumer insight survey on plastic packaging with pollster David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, and speak with Crystal Howe of Ice River Springs about their water bottles made from 100% recycled plastic. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

On this episode, we speak with Mary Scianna from Grocery Business Magazine and Chris Elliott from Restaurants Canada, to discuss current consumer trends in grocery and in restaurants. The marketplace is as competitive as ever, and as a result we’re seeing unique strategies to reach specific demographics, while companies vie to position themselves at the top of the market by focusing on convenience, speed, quality, sustainability and much more. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Businesses in our sector are continually innovating to meet industry demands and consumer expectations. Challenges around labour, food waste, forecasting and so much more have inspired companies to adapt and develop new innovative solutions. On this episode, we scrape the surface of some of the exciting technology across the supply chain with guests from Flashfood, Motorleaf, Apeel Sciences and Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. To learn more about new innovations in our sector, head to the CPMA’s produce innovation hub at produceinnovationhub.com. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.

Last year we saw the development of the new NAFTA and confirmation of additional free trade agreements. The Canadian government, and others around the globe, are focused on removing barriers to product movement, opening new markets and increasing exports for domestic organizations. On this episode we head back to the Learning Lounge on a session in April with Dr. Stephen Tapp, Deputy Chief Economist from Export Development Canada. Stephen provides insight into these efforts and how Canadian business can capitalize on these growing opportunities. The session was moderated by President of Consolidated Fruit Packers Ltd., Dariel Trottier. Play the Podcast Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.