Advertise on podcast: Produce Talks

Sustainability does not happen in isolation. In this episode of Produce Talks podcast sponsored by Fyffes, CPMA’s Daniel Duguay sits down with Tracy Shinners-Carnelley from Peak of the Market to explore why a whole-of-supply-chain approach is essential to delivering meaningful sustainability outcomes in Canada’s fresh produce sector.   Tracy discusses how decisions related to packaging, logistics, food loss and waste, and operations can have significant impacts on both environmental performance and economic viability, and why these considerations must be evaluated together rather than in silos.

The emergence of social media platforms has changed the way brands market themselves and influencers play a major role in this.  So how can produce companies leverage influencers to differentiate their products, build brand trust and drive sales?

In this episode of Produce Talks podcast featuring a CPMA 2026 Learning Lounge session, Crystal MacKay of Loft 32 (moderator); Andrew George, EarthFresh Farms; Randi Church, Windset Farms and Amanda Knauff, Taylor Farms explore the development of personal brand, its significance in your professional path and how to identify and fix any pitfalls along the way.

With the continuing undercurrent of consumer concerns around product origin, cost, and more, retailers need to find the balance between maintaining the product availability (and price) Canadians expect and adjusting to shifting trade realities. Add to this a supply chain with a new Code of Conduct, and challenges in production costs that also impact product availability.  So what is at the forefront of Canadian procurement focus? In this episode of Produce Talks podcast, a panel featuring Canadian retailers discuss what 2026 and beyond, looks like in stores.

This episode features a CPMA 2026 Learning Lounge session where industry leaders explored the use of AI in Agriculture, opportunities and the potential pitfalls.    Moderator: Steve Roosdahl – BC Fresh Speakers:   Stewart Lepage – Oppy, Justine Taylor – Topline Farms, Mike Meinhardt – Clarifresh, Tim Raiswell – Oxrow.ai, Alexandre Carvalho –  BloomIQ

This episode from a CPMA 2026 business session features a panel of growers, retailers, and food rescue innovators who break down practical strategies to reduce Canada’s food loss and waste. Tune in to learn more about how addressing logistics, economic incentives, surplus produce, and new supply chain survey initiatives could help tackle the complexities of food loss and waste.

In this episode of the CPMA Produce Talks podcast, Sue Lewis, CPMA’s VP of Marketing & Events, interviews Canadian food influencers Christopher Rivest, dietitian Desiree Nielsen, and home economist Mairlyn Smith on how they inspire their audiences to eat more fruits and vegetables.

In this episode of CPMA Produce Talks, host Daniel Duguay, Senior Director, Sustainability at CPMA, speaks with Edmund Chin, Managing Director and Co-founder of Lucid Corp, about how design thinking is transforming the way innovative packaging is developed, designed, and ultimately adopted across the fresh produce supply chain.

In this episode, Sue Lewis, Vice President of Marketing at CPMA, and Registered Dietitian, Veronica Rouse, discuss the key role fruits and vegetables play in enhancing overall health. Key highlights include: • The biggest barriers to eating more fruits and vegetables — and tips and tricks to help consumers to overcome them • The latest trends in consuming fruits and vegetables • How the produce industry can better support those trends

The fresh produce supply chain has always been driven by innovation. Whether an organization is involved in primary production, wholesale, retail, big or small, innovation is at the heart of competitiveness as all strive to provide the consumer with products they want to buy again. In this episode, Denise Venderveen (Clean Works), Amanda Wilder (Provision Analytics) and Francois R.-Moisan (Sollum Technologies) discuss current and future innovations influencing the produce  industry.

In this episode, CPMA VP of marketing & events, Sue Lewis, talks with Mike Mauti of Execulytics Consulting about the Canadian shopper. Building on years data gleaned from monthly consumer surveys, Mike looks at the shopping habits of Canadian Gen Z , what is motivating shoppers and  how the 2026 retail landscape will look like.

In this episode, Ron Lemaire, president of CPMA, and David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, break down the biggest forces that have shaped Canada’s fresh produce industry in 2025. From shifting consumer habits to global trade impacts, the two explore what truly moved the market this past year. Looking ahead to 2026, David highlights key consumer and market trends the industry should prioritize to strengthen supply chain resilience and meet evolving consumer demand. This episode of Produce Talks podcast is sponsored by Crawford Packaging.

If there is one topic that has dominated the sustainability conversation in our industry, it is packaging. But as we look toward 2026, the conversation is evolving from simple reduction to a complex balance of functionality, food safety, and environmental footprint.  In the finale of our Fall 2025 Sustainability Series, CPMA's Produce Talks sits down with experts across the supply chain to discuss how we can minimize waste without compromising the quality of fresh produce for Canadians.   In this episode, Stuart Jackson of Crawford Packaging, JF Delorme of IFCO, and Jeff Brandenburg of QFresh Lab, join us as we discuss the "Field to Fork" Balance: How to reduce packaging waste without increasing food waste. We also explore B2B vs. B2C: Navigating the differences between primary consumer packaging and tertiary logistics packaging, as well as leading Future Trends related to recycling, composting, and the next generation of packaging materials. A special thanks to our series sponsor, Crawford Packaging, for supporting this vital conversation.

Is increasing "audit fatigue" stifling genuine environmental progress? In this episode, we tackle the sustainability reporting paradox with John Mesko, CEO of the Potato Sustainability Alliance, Wyatt Maysey, Director of Sustainability, Taylor Farms, and Garland Perkins of Fresh Endeavors Consulting. Discover how the fresh produce industry can move from reactive compliance to "making our own playbook"—transforming the sustainability reporting burden into a strategic input for growth and prosperity.   This episode of Produce Talks podcast is sponsored by Crawford Packaging

In this episode of Produce Talks podcast, CPMA’s Dan Duguay sits down with Justine Taylor, chief sustainability officer (CSO) of Topline Farms to discuss her career journey, the evolution of her role, and the leading challenges CSOs face today. Tune in to hear her perspective on the future of sustainability in fresh produce and her top advice for professionals just starting their journey.