You are what you eat...but only 38 per cent of Canadians know what's in their
food

Maple Leaf(R) introduces Natural Selections(TM), deli meats made with simple ingredients you can actually pronounce

MISSISSAUGA, ON, May 26 /CNW/ - According to a recent national survey, the majority of Canadians (65 per cent) always read food labels but only 38 per cent recognize all the ingredients in the food they buy. Maple Leaf commissioned this Leger Marketing survey to highlight the growing trend toward simple, preservative-free foods and introduce their newest product innovation - Natural Selections - deli meats made with natural ingredients and no added preservatives.

More than half of the survey respondents (58 per cent) are unable to pronounce the ingredients in the foods they buy regularly. To help consumers make healthy choices Maple Leaf ensured that each variety of Natural Selections deli meat - oven-roasted turkey, oven-roasted chicken, baked deli ham and black forest ham - has no more than nine easy-to-recognize ingredients.

Consumers are responding positively to the back-to-basics trend and are seeking out products made with natural ingredients to feed their families. In fact, about one in four Canadians (27 per cent) only buy products made with natural ingredients. Food labels on everyday products are becoming easier to read and the ingredients are even easier to pronounce.

We want to provide our customers with foods free of added preservatives and artificial ingredients they can feel good about feeding their families," said David Grachnik, Marketing Manager for Natural Selections. "So we launched Natural Selections by Maple Leaf, made with our finest cuts of meat plus simple, pronounceable ingredients like vinegar, lemon and sea salt."

About Natural Selections

Natural Selections deli meats from the makers of Maple Leaf are made without preservatives or artificial ingredients. They are made with recognizable, wholesome ingredients you can actually pronounce. All four varieties - oven-roasted turkey, oven-roasted chicken, baked deli ham and black forest ham - are available pre-sliced in resealable 175 gram packages. The black forest ham and oven-roasted turkey are also available for slicing at the deli counter. Natural Selections deli meats are available in grocery stores across Canada.

About Maple Leaf Foods Inc.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a leading Canadian food processing company. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the Company employs approximately 23,500 people at its operations across Canada and in the United States, the United Kingdom and Asia. The Company had sales of $5.2 billion in 2009.

About the survey

From April 26 to April 29, 2010, Leger Marketing conducted a survey using a national random sample of 1502 respondents from Leger Marketing's Web panel. This method simulates a probability sample which would yield a maximum margin of error +/-2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

For further information: Emily Hanft, Argyle Communications, [phone] ext. 228, [email protected]; Mackenzie Keller, Argyle Communications, [phone] ext. 245, [email protected]