This week on The Food Professor Podcast, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois sit down live at SIAL Canada 2026 in Montreal with both SIAL Innovation Co-President judge Isabele Marquis and Santiago Stacey, Chief Banana Officer and winner of the innovation gold award. Santiago shares how his new banana beverage Ku Na Na! is transforming rescued bananas into a groundbreaking plant-based beverage. Then, Michael and Sylvain unpack the week’s biggest food and agriculture stories—from restaurant sector pressures and dairy farming harsh realities to regulatory reform, AI in quick-service restaurant drive-throughs, and celebrate the legacy of Mandarin Restaurant founder James Chiu.
On this latest episode of The Food Professor Podcast, recorded live inside the podcast fishbowl at SIAL Canada 2026 in Montreal, Michael LeBlanc and Sylvain Charlebois welcome one of the most exciting entrepreneurs in Canadian food innovation: Santiago Stacey.
Fresh off winning SIAL’s prestigious Gold Innovation Award, Santiago shares the remarkable story behind Ku Na Na, creator of Canada’s first plant-based banana milk made from 100% rescued, upcycled bananas. Born in Ecuador—the world’s largest exporter of bananas—Santiago witnessed firsthand how millions of bananas are discarded simply for failing to meet cosmetic standards. That insight sparked a mission to create not just a beverage, but a better food system.
Joined by innovation jury co-president Isabelle Marquis, the conversation explores why Ku Na Na stood out among more than 320 entrants. From sustainability and nutrition to taste, convenience, and commercial viability, this product hits every major trend shaping the future of food. Santiago also reveals his expansion plans across Ontario, Quebec, and beyond, while sharing why banana milk could become the next major plant-based category.
But first, Michael and Sylvain break down the week’s biggest food and agriculture headlines.
The hosts unpack Canada’s push toward regulatory modernization and why reducing bureaucratic layering could be critical for food innovation, entrepreneurship, and national food security. They examine troubling new data on Canada’s restaurant industry, with margin compression and closures accelerating in key markets like Ontario and Quebec.
The conversation also dives into controversial moves by pharmacies in Quebec to pull energy drinks from shelves, AI-powered drive-thrus rolling out at Dairy Queen, and a deeply emotional discussion about dairy farmer mental health and the economic realities facing agricultural producers across North America.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/us/dairy-farm-butter-ridge-pennsylvania.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gVA.Xwqj.Qig6BXd4EEKQ&smid=url-share