Vince Sgabellone from Circana Dishes on Dining Trends, Pepper Predicament, and Aluminium, America & Grocery Shopping Trends

This episode of The Food Professor Podcast, recorded live at the SIAL Food Innovation Show in Toronto, opens with co-hosts Michael LeBlanc and Dr. Sylvain Charlebois breaking down the week’s top food and retail stories.

First, they tackle the evolving Canadian political stance on supply management. Prime Minister Carney’s reversal in support of Bill C-282 suggests renewed government protectionism in agricultural trade, potentially complicating future international deals. Sylvain, who testified against the bill, argues for a smarter, more competitive dairy sector rather than entrenching status quo inefficiencies.

Next, they examine the return of Trump-era tariffs, including a 50% levy on aluminum. This move could squeeze margins in the canned food and craft beer sectors. Sylvain praises the Canadian government’s decision not to retaliate immediately, calling it a strategic pause rather than knee-jerk nationalism. Then they discuss NielsenIQ data revealing that Canadians are cutting back on U.S. goods—not necessarily out of patriotism, but due to anti-American sentiment—while failing to significantly boost local Canadian brands.

The final news item highlights the surprising global shortage of black pepper, linked to poor climate and farming shifts. As Sylvain jokes, barbecue fans like Michael may want to stock up on their secret weapon: 16-mesh pepper!

The spotlight then shifts to special guest Vince Sgabellone, Food Service Industry Analyst at Circana Canada. Vince shares compelling insights from the frontlines of Canadian food service. A major trend? The explosion of global cuisine. Whether it’s falafel shops, Nepalese momo dumplings, or Ethiopian cafés, Canadians are craving authentic international flavors—even from mainstream chains like Recipe Unlimited.

Vince attributes much of this shift to immigration and younger generations of diners. One-third of all restaurant visits now come from people of color, and that number is even higher among Gen Z. These consumers are reshaping the restaurant landscape, fueling growth in fast casual dining and independent eateries with strong ethnic roots.

He also reveals that dining out remains resilient in Canada, especially compared to a softening U.S. market. Delivery and takeout are climbing again, even as lunch remains the industry’s weakest segment due to remote work. The growing popularity of solo dining, driven by changing social patterns and younger demographics, is creating new design opportunities for restaurant operators.

This episode is rich in data, spiced with insights, and ends with a wild story about an elephant raiding a grocery store in Thailand—a perfect reminder that food always finds a way to surprise us.

The Food Professor #podcast is presented by Caddle. 

 

About Us

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is a Professor in food distribution and policy in the Faculties of Management and Agriculture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. He is also the Senior Director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab, also located 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. Google Scholar ranks him as one of the world's most cited scholars in food supply chain management, food value chains and traceability.

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