Dr. Sylvain Charlebois

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is 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, at the same university. He is as well the former Dean of the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University. Before joining Dalhousie, he was affiliated with the University of Guelph's Arrell Food Institute, which he co-founded.

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. Since 2020, he co-hosts The Food Professor podcast, discussing issues in the food, foodservice, grocery and restaurant industries. The podcast is ranked in the top 10 most listened management podcast in Canada. +

He has authored five books on global food systems, his most recent one published in 2017 by Wiley-Blackwell entitled “Food Safety, Risk Intelligence and Benchmarking”. He has also published over 500 peer-reviewed journal articles in several academic publications. Furthermore, his research has been featured in several newspapers and media groups, including The Lancet, The Economist, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, BBC, NBC, ABC, Fox News, Foreign Affairs, the Globe & Mail, the National Post and the Toronto Star.

Dr. Charlebois sits on a few company boards, and supports many organizations as a special advisor, including some publicly traded companies. Charlebois is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Business Scientific Institute, based in Luxemburg. Dr. Charlebois is a member of the Global Food Traceability Centre’s Advisory Board based in Washington DC, and a member of the National Scientific Committee of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in Ottawa. --

LIVE / VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS:

Note the following are sample topics.
All presentations are customized to the specific client's needs.

In addition to the topics below, Dr. Charlebois can present on anything related to Food (trends, economics, security, supply chain, shipping, restaurant, e-commerce, plant-based, organic, as well as Agrifood/Agribusiness, and more.) He's currently researching AI and its implications on the food and agrifood industries.

Food inflation: What to expect in 2023 +

As food inflation has made the headlines multiple times over 2022 and has forced the majority of Canadians to rethink the way they are grocery shopping, Dr. Charlebois will expand on what to expect in 2023. --

The Hunger Games: How Big Grocers are Winning at the Expense of Local Alternatives & the Future of Food Prices +

Food inflation is a growing concern in our society, with prices for basic groceries increasing year after year. Large grocery chains dominate the market, but at what cost? In this talk, we will explore the role that these mega-retailers play in driving up food prices, pushing out smaller, local alternatives, and contributing to food waste and environmental degradation. We will also examine the impact that this trend has on communities, particularly those who lack access to affordable, healthy food options. Finally, we will consider the future of food prices and the potential for local, sustainable alternatives to provide a viable solution to the issue of food inflation. This talk will challenge our assumptions about the food industry. --

Insights into the Evolving Food Industry +

The pandemic has redefined Canada’s food purchasing habits in several ways as consumers emerge from a time of upheaval that is now into its third year. Rising geopolitical tensions, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and food insecurity have negatively impacted global food supply chains. In this session, Dr. Sylvain Charlebois will present on global food security and how it impacts on the individual consumer as well as the economics around food production and the consumer. --

Navigating Inflation & Consumer Spending in the Agrifood Supply Chain +

In this insightful presentation Dr. Charlebois explores the various factors impacting inflation in the agrifood supply chain. From production to distribution to consumption, he will discuss the key drivers of rising costs and their implications for the industry as a whole. Furthermore, Charlebois will shed light on where consumer dollars go within the agrifood supply chain and how this impacts pricing and availability of food products. This presentation is an opportunity to gain valuable insights into one of the most critical components of our global economy. --

The Perfect Storm: How Canada's Food Distribution System is Coping +

In this provocative and enlightening keynote address by Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, one of Canada's leading experts on food distribution, explores the current state of Canada's food distribution system. With inflation, labor shortages, climate change, policy shifts, and changing consumer trends all converging, Canada's food landscape is facing some unique challenges.

Dr. Charlebois will delve into the challenges facing Canada's food distribution system and the impact they are having on food prices, availability, and quality. He will discuss the implications of labor shortages and policy shifts, including recent changes to regulations and the rise of food autonomy movements. He will also examine the impact of climate change on Canada's food supply chain and the role that consumers can play in addressing these challenges.

Throughout this keynote, he'll highlight the many impacts as well as the opportunities for the pallet industry. Come prepared to be challenged and inspired as we explore the critical issues facing Canada's food distribution system and chart a path towards a more sustainable and resilient future. --

Our Quest for Protein Democracy +

Governments, farmers, food processors, environmentalists and everyday consumers all have an opinion on an essential nutrient - protein. As conversations grow around cellular agriculture and lab-grown meats, the feasibility of raising livestock sustainably, the rise of plant-based diets, and the tension between new technologies and traditional foods, it's clear that the future of protein is a multi-stakeholder debate filled with difficult questions. Most importantly, protein affordability and price parity between different sources ought to be attain, to give consumers are true choice.

Sylvain Charlebois believes our collective discussion on proteins should not provide simple answers to nuanced questions, but rather, to allow consumers to better understand issues. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a holistic dialogue that provides context, informs decisions, and explores new ways of thinking about protein democracy. --

E-commerce for the Food Industry in Post-pandemic Time +

In this fireside chat format Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, Professor and Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab, Dalhousie University in Halifax, discusses the evolving global e-commerce landscape for the food industry. Fuelled by the pandemic, e-commerce has exploded in the global food industry. Social distancing, stay-at-home protocols and restaurant closures drove consumers to shop for their food online. It triggered unprecedented growth in virtual grocery stores and unique direct-to-consumer strategies, carving out a starring role for e-commerce in the global food landscape. However, a new landscape has emerged for the food industry in the last few months. Rising geopolitical tensions, the war in Ukraine, inflation, and food insecurity have negatively impacted global food supply chains. Can e-commerce continue to grow in this new environment, and how? --

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is Dean of the Faculty of Management and Professor of the Faculty of Agriculture at Dalhousie University, Canada. He acts as special advisor to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), to Health Canada on food safety issues, and to Agriculture and Food Canada on agricultural policy.

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