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.
Friday, 18 December 2020
Growing in Produce
Monday, 30 November 2020
Accelerated Changes and New Normals in Retail
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.
Wednesday, 28 October 2020
And the Winner Is...: Conversations with 2020 Award Winners
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.
Wednesday, 14 October 2020
Unpacking Food Recalls
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.
Monday, 31 August 2020
A 2020 Look at Automation and Technology in Produce
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.
Friday, 7 August 2020
Between Two Chairs 2020
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.
Monday, 15 June 2020
COVID-19: Revisiting Impacts and Key Takeaways
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.
Friday, 29 May 2020
Sustainable Packaging: Preferences and Parameters
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.
Thursday, 30 April 2020
Fairtrade Practices, Certification and Sustainability
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.
Tuesday, 31 March 2020
COVID-19: Impacts, Risks and Responses across the Produce Supply Chain
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.
Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.
Friday, 28 February 2020
Dietitians: On the Forefront of Consumer Education
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.
Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.
Monday, 27 January 2020
Produce and Politics: Part 2
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.
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.
Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.
Thursday, 16 January 2020
My Produce Story (LIVE from the CPMA Trade Show Floor)
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.
Thank you to our podcast sponsor, NatureFresh™ Farms.
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