A University of Guelph professor and a PhD candidate were featured when TVO On The Road visited U of G March 6.

Prof. Sylvain Charlebois, Marketing and Consumer Studies, and biomedical sciences student Gavin Armstrong were interviewed by TVO’s flagship current affairs program The Agenda with Steve Paikin during two panel discussions.

The interviews took place in the Summerlee Science Complex in front of a live audience.

Charlebois took part in a panel discussing Ontario’s food sustainability and food security. He studies food distribution and policy, and is a co-author of the U of G Food Institute’s annual Food Price Report.

That episode was broadcast March 7.

“While no one knows how things will evolve, we’re definitely seeing the beginning of a new world order in food,” Charlebois said. “Most importantly, what needs to be underscored is that the consumer is now recognized, more than ever, as the CEO of our food supply chains. That recognition comes with great consequences.”

The second panel focused on innovation and entrepreneurship in Guelph, and aired March 8. Guelph leads Canada both in employment and jobs growth.

That panel included Armstrong, founder and CEO of the Guelph-based Lucky Iron Fish company. The Lucky Iron Fish is a product designed to combat iron deficiency and anemia, particularly in developing countries. In Cambodia, the team saw clinical iron deficiency anemia cut in half after just nine months.

“Though the Lucky Iron Fish has become a global phenomenon, we are proud of our history in Guelph, and the values of the Guelph community are embedded in how we do business around the world.”