What does it really take to protect consumer trust and brand integrity in today’s complex, global marketplace?

This week on Munching on Molecules, Lara and Christine visit the lab at Purity-IQ to speak with Deleo de Leonardis, co-founder and CEO, and a seasoned retail executive with over three decades in Canadian food and drug retail.

From her time as VP of Private Label at one of Canada’s largest supermarket chains leading the charge in innovation, Deleo brings a powerful perspective on what it means to maintain trust at the shelf level and beyond.

Episode highlights include:

• How Purity-IQ is revolutionizing brand protection with DNA and NMR technology

• Why authenticity matters more than ever in a globalized, clean-label world

• The real value of verified supply chains for consumers and companies alike

• What “standardized authenticity testing” looks like and why it’s the future

If you’re in quality assurance, private label, supply chain, or brand development, this is one to bookmark.
Link to Purity-IQ: Purity-IQ | ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited Authenticity Testing

Photo credits: Left to Right

Gerald Amantea, PhD (food safety consultant), Phil Chang (This Commerce Life), Deleo de Leonardis (Purity-IQ), Lara Tiro (Munching on Molecules), and Christine Farkas (Munching on Molecules)

This week on Munching on Molecules, we sit down with a guest whose roots in food run deep, both personally and professionally: Christopher Marinangeli, PhD, RD.

Christopher grew up immersed in the food world, dating back to his great-grandparents, and his grandfather who famously got his driver’s license in exchange for bananas in Toronto, to his own executive roles in CPG. Food isn’t just a career for Christopher, it’s in his DNA.

Christopher brings close to two decades of experience navigating the complex intersections of food regulations, nutrition science, and market strategy. From shaping policy in the Canadian agri-food sector to guiding innovation at major CPG brands, he’s a sought-after expert on how evidence-based nutrition can drive competitive advantage.

Now serving as Director of the Centre for Regulatory Research and Innovation at Protein Industries Canada (PIC), Christopher is on a mission to modernize food regulations and unlock the full potential of plant-based protein innovation.

In this episode:

- The power of nutrition science in strategic product development

- How PIC is helping and supporting Canada's SMEs, starting with plant protein

- What’s next for innovation for plant-based proteins and Canada’s Ag sector

This one’s for the changemakers at the crossroads of science, policy, and food product design.

Resources:

https://www.proteinindustriescanada.ca/crri

Lara Tiro and Christine Farkas are back from CHFA NOW Toronto (Sept 19–21, 2025) with stories, insights, and plenty of laughs from Canada’s biggest natural and organic trade show.

From co-hosting Launchpad to firing off rapid-fire questions with emerging founders, the duo dives into what it really takes to stand out:

💡 How do you share your business story?
👥 Who are your customers—really?
🌟 What makes your brand special?

It’s a behind-the-scenes recap of innovation, hustle, and heart from the CHFA floor—where Canada’s next food and wellness leaders take the stage.

🎧 Tune in for bite-sized reflections, founder wisdom, and a taste of what’s next for the natural products scene.

We chat with Nithya, editor of Food in Canada magazine, Canada’s longest-standing national publication serving the food and beverage industry. As Food in Canada proudly marks its 85th anniversary, we discuss how the magazine continues to adapt while maintaining its trusted voice in a rapidly evolving sector.

Nithya takes us through the magazine's more recent history: its acquisition by Annex Business Media in 2021, and a pivotal change in March 2024, when Annex transitioned into a 100% Employee-Management Partnership. Now, every employee shares in ownership and profit, and importantly, helps shape decision-making and priorities. 

We dive into:

• How to submit your story to Food in Canada: What editors look for, what kind of narratives resonate, and how to maximize your pitch’s chance of being featured.

• Current trends in Canada’s food landscape: We cover shifts in the supply chain, rising consumer demands for transparency and sustainability, and how brands are responding.

• The ongoing role of industry-focused trade publications like Food in Canada in giving a platform to both emerging and established voices in the food processing sector.

Whether you are leading a startup, building a heritage brand, or just tuned into the pulse of Canada’s food industry, this episode delivers both actionable advice and a rare glimpse behind the scenes of a publication that’s shaped nearly nine decades of Canada’s food story.

Resources:https://www.foodincanada.com

Submit your story pitch: [email protected]

Episode 46 is your behind-the-scenes pass to all things CHFA NOW Toronto, happening September 19–21, 2025.

Lara Tiro and Christine Farkas, run through what’s ahead, including:

💚 Not one but two Thursday mixers on Sept 18: BDC x B Local Ontario x CHFA gathering and the COTA Organic Month Mingler, because the real networking starts before the show even opens.

💚 Their very first time co-hosting CHFA Launchpad on Friday, Sept 19 at 5pm, where emerging brands and big ideas take center stage.

💚 What’s buzzing at this year’s conference workshops and panels.

It’s a bite-sized session filled with tips, laughs, and a little nervous excitement.

Tune in to hear what they’re most looking forward to this week.

Whether you’re attending or just curious what CHFA NOW is all about, this one’s worth a listen.

Full schedule: https://www.chfanow.ca/toronto/schedule

We’re talking bold export moves with Barron Lau and Paul Yip, the powerhouse duo behind Chowtime Foods, rewriting the playbook for Canadian food brands expanding into China.

With bilingual teams across Shanghai, Toronto, Vancouver, and Hong Kong, they’re bringing Canadian innovation to Asia’s most competitive food market with strategy, speed, and real traction.

In this episode, we dig into:

• What it really takes to scale in China’s food industry, from e-comm to retail.

• Why Canadian health and wellness brands are gaining ground across Asia.

• The value of end-to-end execution; from first shipment to sustainable scale.

• Cross-cultural strategy, regulatory readiness, and what most brands get wrong.

If you’re looking to export to China, Chowtime's online platform is built for Canadian innovators in the natural, organic, and wellness space.

Plus: hear what’s ahead as they prep to lead a Canadian trade delegation to the China International Import Expo (CIIE) trade show on November 5 -10, 2025

Resources:

Chowtime Foods: ⁠https://chowtimefoods.com/⁠

What happens when food meets purpose on a global scale? In this episode, we sit down with Mario A. Castillo, founder of Taste & Trade Mexico City, to explore how Canadian food businesses can grow beyond borders into a vibrant, circular, and deeply sustainable food system in Mexico City.

More than a trade mission, this is a cultural and culinary awakening. From October 7–10 2025, Canadian CPG leaders will join Mario on a journey through Latin America's premier food innovation event, and beyond.

Key Highlights:

• A vision for food as life energy, cultural connection, and community empowerment.

• Why circularity and sustainability in Mexico's food systems can ripple back to inspire change and innovation in Canada.

• What participants can expect: VIP access to the Food Tech Summit & Expo 2025, guided culinary immersion, B2B matchmaking, and more.

Whether you are in R&D, Innovation, a brand owner, or ingredient supplier, this is your invitation to connect, expand, and lead with purpose.

Tune in to hear Mario’s inspiring mission and why now is the time to rethink how we grow markets, honour Indigenous wisdom, and innovate for both people and planet.

Learn more about the Taste & Trade Mission: 

https://www.scitlalli.com/taste-trade-missions/event-one-xyy5r

We are kicking off Organic Month (September 1–30, 2025) with a special conversation featuring My-Lien Bosch, Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs Manager at the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA).

My-Lien’s career path is a fascinating one, moving from the fork (developing finished food and pet food products) to the farm (shaping policies that impact organic agriculture and sustainability). Today, she serves as a key voice for Canada’s organic sector, ensuring that policies support farmers, businesses, and consumers alike.

Before joining COTA, My-Lien worked as Director of Technical Services at the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, and earlier spent years in product development roles with multinational food companies. With a Master’s in Food Science from Wageningen University and a Bachelor’s from the University of Guelph, she brings a rare blend of technical expertise, policy insight, and culinary curiosity about how food connects people, cultures, and science.

 In this episode:

• Fork to farm: My-Lien’s unique journey through food manufacturing, animal nutrition, and now organic advocacy.
• Data as a tool for change: How COTA uses data and market insights to strengthen the case for organic with policymakers.
• Shaping the organic future: Why advocacy matters for trust, transparency, and long-term sector growth.
• Policy in practice: How regulations affect both the food on our shelves and the farmers behind it.
• Organic Month spotlight: How Canadians can celebrate and support organics all September long.

Tune in as we celebrate Organic Month with a conversation that blends career pathways, advocacy, and the future of food.

Learn more about Organic Month here: 

choosecanadaorganic.ca/organic-month

With over a decade in the biotech industry and co-inventor on 7 U.S. and Canadian patents, Mingyang Sun brings scientific rigor, team leadership, and a passion for sustainable innovation to his work at ApiSave™, a natural product redefining pollinator health.

In this episode, we explore how ApiSave™, a 100% natural extract, is helping bees thrive through both nutritional support when consumed and environmental benefits when applied in hives. Mingyang shares his path from R&D to biotech leadership, and what it takes to create IP-driven solutions for agriculture and food systems.

Key takeaways:

• From bench to leadership: Mingyang’s journey from research to biotech innovation and commercialization
• Why bees matter: Why supporting bees is critical for food systems and how ApiSave™ aims to help.
• Biotech & sustainability: How natural innovations can protect ecosystems.

Learn more about ApiSave™: apisave.com/apisave

A must-listen for R&D leaders, agri-tech innovators, and anyone passionate about our food ecosystems

In this episode, we explore the cutting-edge world of plant-based sports nutrition with Melissa L’Heureux‑Haché, Co-founder of VEGAIN Nutrition. Born from the need for better options, VEGAIN is reimagining what plant-based performance products can be from flavour to function.

We explore:

• Melissa’s journey as a three-time founder and entrepreneur, and her passion for building high-impact products that elevate the consumer experience.

• Why performance-focused consumers, including those in the UFC, many not vegan, are turning to VEGAIN for best-in-class products.

• How VEGAIN is proving that clean, plant-based products can deliver results and bring joy to the consumer experience.
  

Plus, a spotlight on their newest innovation: SURGE™️, a first-of-its-kind clear vegan protein. It drinks like juice, powers like protein, and is rewriting the playbook for how athletes fuel. Nearly two years in development, SURGE™️ solves for texture, taste, and bioavailability in ways the category hasn’t seen before.

Whether you're in R&D, sports nutrition, or simply care about high-performance food done right, this episode is packed with insight and momentum.

Resources:
VEGAIN Nutrition: https://vegain.ca/pages/about-us