|
Sylvain Charlebois
Sylvain Charlebois is a Canadian professor and researcher of food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is a former dean of the university's Faculty of Management. Charlebois, who goes by the moniker "The Food Professor," is the director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie. Since December 2010, he has been the lead author of Canada's Food Price Report. Early life and educationCharlebois was raised on a rural farm in Quebec. He has a degree in commerce from the Royal Military College of Canada. After graduation, Charlebois briefly worked as a lobbyist for group representing Quebec retailers, but soon quit because of a political disagreement with his boss's support for Quebec separatism. He stayed in the province and obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Université du Québec à Montréal and a Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Sherbrooke, writing his thesis on mad cow disease's impact on the Canadian beef industry and food distribution.[1][2][3] CareerAfter getting his Phd, Charlebois moved to Saskatchewan for a teaching position at the University of Regina in 2004.[2] He became associate dean of the Faculty of Business Administration in 2008 and joined the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, a joint operation between the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan, as an associate director the following year.[3] In the 2000s, his research focused on food systems and began making media appearances as a food expert.[2] From 2010 to 2016, Charlebois was a professor at the University of Guelph's College of Business and Economics, where he co-founded the Arrell Food Institute.[4] At his college, he served as associate dean of research and graduate studies, executive programs, and academics, as well as a stint as acting dean.[5] In 2016, he was named dean of the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University.[6] In 2018, Charlebois became the director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie, after resigning as dean following an investigation into complaints involving harassment and bullying. Following Charlebois's resignation, a university spokesman stated that the conclusions of the investigation would remain confidential but that "no further action" would be taken in relation to the investigation.[7][8] Charlebois writes a blog for Canadian Grocer magazine called "The Food Professor,"[9] and is a co-host of the podcast titled "The Food Professor."[10] Charlebois and his wife Janèle Vézeau are also co-directors of the Canadian Agri-Food Foresight Institute, a private consulting company in the agri-food industry.[2] Studies and publicationsCanada's Food Price ReportSince 2010, Charlebois has published and been the lead author of Canada's Food Price Report, a non-peer reviewed report that on food pricing trends.[2][11] An August 2024 paper in Canadian Food Studies found that the Report were "scientifically incomplete" since it did not adequately account for climate change and the impact of corporate decisions on price.[2] Grocery store theftIn January 2023 Charlebois penned a commentary on the increase in thefts from supermarkets, and how it raises costs for grocers and leads to higher grocery prices.[12][13][14] The piece, and a Twitter post, was met with criticism, and debate about the morality of food theft.[15][16] Twitter users drew attention to Charlebois' salary from Dalhousie University, and his receipt of a $60,000 grant in 2018 from the Weston Foundation, which is funded by Weston Family companies that include Loblaws, one of Canada's largest grocery retailers.[17][18] In response, Charlebois said the grant went to Dalhousie University and was used to pay a graduate student; and that people are upset with grocers since, with food inflation over 10 percent, "they're looking for a scapegoat."[12][17] Carbon pricing and environmental policiesCharlebois describes himself as a supporter "pro-carbon tax." In Fall 2023, Charlebois questioned the accuracy of the government's and Bank of Canada's impact analyses of how carbon pricing in Canada affected food prices. He described the carbon tax as contributing to a less competitive food supply and therefore higher prices for Canadians. Charlebois also described the program as "very difficult to assess" recommended pausing it a comprehensive impact assessment was completed. His criticisms of the program was heavily cited by the Conservative Party of Canada and its supporters.[19] In December 2023, two University of Calgary economists used Statistics Canada data to show that the British Columbia carbon tax raised average food prices by a third of a percentage point and was at a similar level in other provinces. Their work also noted that the average Canadian received $250 more in the attached rebate than they paid in via the tax. Canadians for Tax Fairness also criticized Charlebois's analysis for barely acknowledging the rebate that Canadians received for the carbon tax.[19] Charlebois dismissed his critics as the "intellectual C-tax mob" and accused the "woke movement of influencing food policies."[2][20][21] He also criticized the use of Statistics Canada data as resulting in "severe limitations".[2] Charlebois has also criticized the federal government's plastic pollution reduction campaign and a voluntary reduction plan for fertilizer emissions,[2] which he said would be likely to raise costs and more international food scarcity.[22] Milk dumpingA study co-authored by Charlebois found that between 2012 and 2021, the Canadian dairy industry discarded on farms an estimated 7% of all milk produced (over 6.8 billion liters of raw milk, valued at $6.7 billion). The Canadian Dairy Commission and the chief executive officer of Dairy Farmers of Canada contested the study's data and assumptions, saying the practice takes place only on rare occasions. Charlebois stated to The Globe and Mail that the industry did not try to limit the amount of surplus milk, and that dairy is under supply management, no waste should be tolerated.[23][24] Other reportsCharlebois has also co-authored reports related to the Canadian Wheat Board’s Daily Price Contract program, Canada's Food Guide,[25] edible cannabis legislation,[26] and public perception towards GMOs.[27] BibliographyBooks
References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
