Future of the French Fry - McCain Foods is working towards a more sustainable Canadian favourite

TORONTO, July 13, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, on National French Fry Day, McCain is announcing a commitment to improving the sustainability of our products, including the iconic French Fry, with a key focus on creating a more sustainable approach to potato farming.

"The global demand for food has never been greater, and farmers are being challenged with producing more with less, while facing increasingly challenging weather patterns due to climate change, and growing food in soil that is deteriorating.'' says Max Koeune, President and CEO of McCain Foods Ltd. "Farmers are at the heart of our Country and food system, and the food challenges we've experienced during COVID-19 could only get worse if we don't start taking action.''

Key to this commitment is building three Farms of the Future to showcase how regenerative farming practices and the latest agricultural technology and innovations, can be implemented at scale. In partnership with leading academics and suppliers, each will focus on demonstrating that more sustainable practices can also create a more financially viable future for farming, while at the same time increasing food production.

These innovative commercial farms will be built in three different countries with three different climates around the world. The first Farm of the Future will be developed in New Brunswick, where McCain was founded.

''We've been working in partnership with many growers for generations, and this is a next step in ensuring the future of this important industry, and a Canadian food staple.'' says Mr. Koeune.

The Farms of the Future program was announced as part of McCain's first sustainability report. Titled Be Good. Do Good., the report summarizes McCain's sustainability responsibilities, what it is currently doing and where it plans to go.

Other key tenets include an environmental commitment to produce zero waste to landfill, use 100 per cent renewable energy and to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 per cent by 2030. Alongside, is a commitment to produce Good Food, including plans to reduce sodium content in our products by 15 per cent by 2025, providing clear and transparent nutritional information, and removing artificial ingredients.

"I hope everyone can celebrate the fun of the French Fry with friends and family knowing that they are supporting Canadian Farmers." says Mr. Koeune.  ''We're committed to making these products planet-friendly — and we will."

The McCain sustainability report can be found here.

For more information, please visit mccain.com/sustainability 

About McCain Foods:

Founded by the McCain brothers in Florenceville, NB, in 1957, McCain Foods has been a family-owned business since day one, the ultimate result of several generations of potato farming. The McCain brothers had one goal when they set out on this venture: to bring wholesome food to the tables of Canadian families. That goal stands today, and McCain works tirelessly with over 130 farming families in New Brunswick, Manitoba and Alberta to do so with sustainable farming and environmental responsibility. Every step of the way, McCain has remained proudly Canadian — and is equally proud to have helped its hometown of Florenceville become the French Fry Capital of the World.

SOURCE McCain Foods

Michelle Hann, Senior Consultant, Digital and Communications, Enterprise Canada, [email protected], 613-716-2118