McCain Foods Australia and New Zealand has announced a new “overarching global company philosophy”, pledging to “spread the goodness” with reformulation of products to eliminate additives or preservatives, emphasise its School Veggie Patches campaigns and highlight the benefits of fresh-frozen foods, and increase product transparency, which it says is “sure to further strengthen McCain Foods reputation in Australia and New Zealand.”
“McCain has always been dedicated to freshness as all of its products are made with produce that are grown, picked and prepared fresh before they are snapped frozen for added convenience. Now, the “It’s All Good” philosophy aims to take this commitment to the next level as the company is reformulating all of its recipes to eliminate unnecessary ingredients, like additives or preservatives,” said a release from the company.
“This means even better tasting food made with simple, fresh ingredients that you could find in your own kitchen. For example McCain Family Pizza are freshly baked, sauces are freshly prepared and come complete with the same toppings you would find in your local grocer. And, in the case of the McCain frozen vegetable options, they offer convenience, and studies have shown the nutrition profile of frozen vegetables is equal to if not better than that of fresh vegetables.”
“As part of the ‘It’s All Good’ journey, McCain Foods is also working to improve our manufacturing processes and reduce our impact on the environment, which is a journey we have already started. Since 2006, we’ve invested more than $2 million into water reduction and making our factories more sustainable which meant that last year we won the Water Smart Water Management Award as part of the CGU and Commerce Ballarat Business Excellence Awards,” said McCain’s Marketing Director Nicki Anderson.
The company has redesigned its website and its packaging to increase transparency, including a “healthy and nutrition dietary” online search, allowing consumers to exclude particular ingredients for allergy or dietary reasons.
Detail on labelling has also been increased on some products, such as McCain’s Pizza Perfection, which now indicates which ingredients are in the crust, sauce and cheese.
“We’re also better supporting the communities in which we live and work through initiatives such as the McCain School Veggie Patch program which educates almost 800,000 school children across Australia and New Zealand about the goodness of vegetables,” said Anderson.
McCain continues to place emphasis on the popularly recognised health symbol, the Heart Foundation Tick, with the symbol now appearing on its Healthy Choice, Pizza Singles and Frozen Vegetables.
“McCain has been producing foods to meet the Heart Foundation’s strict nutrition standards since 1992, and as such, we feel McCain makes it more convenient for Aussies to reach their five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit a day. We are delighted that McCain is the biggest provider of Tick approved frozen fruit and vegetables with nothing added, as well as Tick approved ready meals that each contain a serve of veggies,” said Susan Anderson, National Director - Healthy Weight, Heart Foundation.
McCain 'It's All Good' Australia and New Zealand
