The Food Professor

In this episode of The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois deliver a wide-ranging discussion that connects Canadian food policy, trade risk, pricing power, and the accelerating role of AI in restaurants. The episode is anchored by a forward-looking interview with Deborah Matteliano Simeoni, Global Head of Restaurants at Amazon Web Services (AWS), recorded live at the NRF Big Show in New York. The first half of the episode focuses on the state of Canadian agriculture and food affordability. Sylvain shares firsthand insights from meetings with farmers across the Prairies, highlighting cautious optimism around renewed beef access to China alongside deep concern about U.S. trade policy and the durability of CUSMA. The hosts debate the federal government’s grocery rebate program, questioning its long-term fiscal impact and contrasting it with a structural alternative: removing GST on food and foodservice to address affordability more directly. A key political and policy thread centers on Mark Wiseman, Canada’s incoming Ambassador to the United States. Michael and Sylvain discuss Wiseman’s previously published criticism of supply management, exploring whether his appointment signals potential pressure on the system during future Canada–U.S. trade negotiations—and whether Ottawa may ultimately position reforms as externally forced rather than domestically driven. The conversation situates supply management within broader competitiveness, trade credibility, and agri-food resilience debates. The hosts also examine PepsiCo’s high-profile U.S. snack price reductions, questioning whether the move reflects margin recalibration, competitive signaling, or Super Bowl-era marketing—and why those cuts do not apply to Canada. Additional topics include the quiet disappearance of frozen orange juice concentrate, the continued normalization of food delivery, and why physical restaurants still matter as legitimizing anchors for digital-first and delivery-led food brands. The second half features an in-depth conversation with Deborah Matteliano Simeoni, who reframes AI not as an end goal, but as a tool for solving real restaurant challenges. Drawing on her experience launching Uber Eats and now advising global QSR brands at AWS, she explains how AI is improving drive-through accuracy, enhancing employee satisfaction, and enabling sophisticated personalization within loyalty ecosystems. Deborah emphasizes experimentation, data-driven learning, and customer-centric design as essential to scaling technology responsibly. Lastly we celebrate the Lobster Lady, still fishing at 101, leaving the earth at 103: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/business/virginia-oliver-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.J1A.q_7X.15lWPrsTltE7&smid=url-share About Us Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Visiting Professor in Food Policy and Distribution at McGill University and 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 2025, and continues to be a ReThink Retail Top Retail Expert for the fifth year in a row.