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.
Produce Talks is a monthly podcast produced and hosted by CPMA. Each episode explores current issues and the latest news in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, including new research, industry trends, innovations and much more. Learn more about our ever-changing industry as we feature special guests from across the produce sector.
Monday, 26 July 2021
Emerging Pathogens – A Conversation with Canada’s Experts
Wednesday, 23 June 2021
Special 100th episode of CPMA podcast: The Produce industry through the lenses of CPMA’s Past Chairs
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.
Friday, 21 May 2021
Women in Produce 2021
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.
Friday, 30 April 2021
Growing in Produce: Young Leaders Panel
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.
Tuesday, 6 April 2021
Moving Produce: Across Borders, Through Ports and Around the Globe
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.
Friday, 26 February 2021
Sustainable Agriculture: Innovations and Alternatives
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.
Friday, 29 January 2021
Sustainable Food Systems and the National Index of Agri-Food Performance
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.
Friday, 18 December 2020
Growing in Produce
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.
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.


