Frequently
Asked
Questions.

McCain Foods is primarily a frozen food company but we offer non-frozen products too.

For instance, in some parts of the world, we produce a variety of chilled products including fries, mash and roast potatoes, as well as products such as potato flake.

As well as McCain Foods potato products, in many countries we also offer other great tasting products such as appetizers, pizzas and desserts.

McCain Foods has a total production capacity of more than one million pounds of potato products per hour across our processing plants around the globe. McCain Foods makes one quarter of all the frozen fries produced in the world.

No one is sure about the origin of French fries. They became popular in France by the late 1800s, however there are claims that they originated in Belgium. American soldiers first named them ‘French fries’, when they were introduced to them by French-speaking Belgians during World War One. It is even said that former U.S President Thomas Jefferson served "potatoes fried in the French manner" in the White House in the early 1800s.

The British, of course, call French fries "chips", and England is the land of "fish and chips." Being a Canadian headquartered company, we’re proud of our poutine roots too!

McCain Foods product information can be found on our regional McCain Foods sites as products vary by country. Click here for a list of our regional sites.

Although we do have some McCain-owned farm operations to ensure a ready supply of quality potatoes, these provide only a small percentage of our needs. Most of the potatoes used in our products are grown by independent farmers who contract with McCain Foods before planting the year's crop. McCain Foods agronomists work closely with these growers to help them constantly improve the quality and yield of their crops.

Since 1999 McCain Foods has abided by a policy of not using genetically modified potatoes in any of our products globally. This policy holds true today, but we also recognize that science holds the potential to address many of the issues that continue to challenge the world with respect to the sustainable production of affordable and nutritious food to meet the demands of a growing population. It is the positive potential of science that drives our continued interest in plant biotechnology, and as such, we actively monitor and may participate in research and development projects that seek to offer significant social benefits. Regulatory compliance and consumer acceptance for the use of any new technology will guide our actions.

McCain Foods has abided by a policy of not using genetically modified potatoes in any of our products globally since 1999. We always strive to source non-GM ingredients wherever possible. In some instances, however, for non-potato ingredients such as cooking oil, a lack of GM and non-GM segregation at the crop level means this cannot be guaranteed.

All ingredients used by McCain Foods are safe and adhere to the relevant government requirements. We comply with regulations that mandate the labeling of genetically modified foods in regions of the world where such requirements exist.

McCain Foods is famous for its French fries and specialty potato products. 

We purchase a very small number of eggs or ingredients containing eggs and are committed to these being cage-free sourced by 2025. As of 2022, 92% of the egg products we purchase are from cage free sources.

For the vast majority of our cooking needs, McCain Foods does not use palm oil. For the small amount of palm oil we do use, we only purchase sustainable palm oil from suppliers who are certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

Sodium acid pyrophosphate (also known as disodium diphosphate) is a component of baking powder and is widely used in the food industry in a variety of applications.

We use it in McCain French fries to retain the natural color of the potatoes. Without it, potatoes would turn dark, just like an apple turns dark when you cut it and expose it to air.

The vast majority of soybean oil that McCain Foods uses is sourced from areas of the world where there is no impact on deforestation, such as the USA.  For other regions, we purchase 100% of our requirements from sources that certify there is no impact on deforestation.

Making frozen McCain French fries involves many steps in a modern manufacturing process, though it’s basically taking simple ingredients and preparing them as you would at home – we wash, peel, cut, cook, season and freeze potatoes. This process is designed to deliver the taste, texture and convenience you have come to expect from McCain Foods.

McCain Foods is committed to providing its customers and consumers with food they can trust to be safe, nutritious and great tasting. As a result, we have been working to address the issue of acrylamide since it was first discovered in food in 2002. We have a worldwide technical team managing the issue and we have been working proactively with international regulators and researchers on an ongoing basis.

McCain Foods is committed to continuing efforts to reduce the formation of acrylamide in our products by monitoring the latest research and assessing applicability.

We have made progress in reducing the formation of acrylamide by selecting the best potatoes, controlling storage and processing conditions, and providing clear instructions on all retail and foodservice packaging for optimal cooking times and temperatures.

McCain Foods has engaged industry and regulators in a number of countries and has contributed to the internationally recognized reduction recommendations outlined in the European Union’s Food Drink Europe “Acrylamide Toolbox” and the Codex Code of Practice.

McCain Foods encourages its customers to follow cooking recommendations published by either EUPPA (European Potato Processors Association1) or FDA (US Food and Drugs Administration2), which are available on the following websites:

www.goodfries.eu

Low levels of sugars are naturally present in potatoes. These levels vary throughout the year and from variety-to-variety which, in turn, impacts the consistency of colour in the final cooking process. Dextrose is therefore used, when required, during the blanching process to maintain colour consistency and to replace any natural sugars lost during cooking.

The vast majority of our frozen cold store estate is free from HFC refrigerants. The small percentage that isn't yet HFC-free will be moving to natural gas refrigerant at the time of upgrade or replacement going forward.

At McCain Foods this topic is very important to us. We have been focused on food waste reduction practices for many years, such as food landfill diversion via its re-use as animal feed, by-products, biogas, and organic fertilizer. The initiatives we already have in place mean that currently less than 5% of our operational food waste goes to landfill. 

Also as a member of the Consumer Goods Forum we have committed to a goal of halving food waste within our manufacturing operations by 2025 in line with their food waste commitment https://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/initiatives/environmental-sustainability/key-projects/food-solid-waste/

As a result of the increasing levels of obesity and associated health risks, health consciousness has been on the rise among consumers. Today's consumers want healthy alternatives without compromising quality and taste. McCain Foods is responding to our consumers and customers with an expanded range of Better For You product choices that are lower in fat, sugar and sodium. Click here for a list of our regional websites for information about products sold in your country.

In 2003, we displayed leadership in North America by introducing French fries prepared in non-hydrogenated oils in order to lower the levels of trans-fatty acids. Similar initiatives are underway at other company operations around the world. At the same time, McCain Foods is working closely with its customers to develop new product options for quick-service restaurants.

Moderation in how much one eats and drinks, getting regular exercise and enough sleep, as well as reducing stress are all elements of managing one's health. We believe that all McCain Foods products can be part of a nutritionally balanced diet and a healthy, active lifestyle.

Ultimately, it is the consumer who chooses what food they eat, how often and how much. As a responsible manufacturer of food products, McCain Foods believes it should provide both a wide variety of product choices and the information consumers need to make their purchase decisions.

At McCain Foods, we support the World Health Organization guidance to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids (IP-TFAs) from the global food supply. A major source of IP-TFAs come from vegetable oils which have been partially hydrogenated to enhance stability and shelf life. Over the past decade, McCain Foods has eliminated the use of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils from the cooking procedures of our product portfolio globally. We have achieved this by moving to low saturated fat cooking oils such as canola and sunflower.

Several years ago, we started reformulating and removing IP-TFA’s from our ingredients. This is now almost complete and our new product development policy is not to use IP-TFA’s.

Where trans-fatty acids are naturally occurring (through diary ingredients for example) or formed within the cooking process, we are committed to maintaining levels below 2% in all our McCain branded and McCain owned brands, in all categories.