News On French Fries and Potato Specialties from Canada

McCain Foods confirmed that layoffs have occurred at its Carberry potato processing plant in an email sent by the company to the Sun on Wednesday.

Restaurant closures have slashed demand although ‘chip sales have been great,’. French fry sales are down across North America as tens of thousands of restaurants have closed during COVID-19, which means the potato industry has to adapt quickly.

McCain Foods announced a donation of up to 20-million pounds of potato products to support Food Banks Canada, Second Harvest, and other local food security organizations across the country.

Cavendish farms haven’t laid off any staff yet because of the coronavirus (COVID-19), but a spokeswoman for the company says short-term layoffs are expected.

Annual event caps off 40th Anniversary celebrations in 2019 highlighted by CAD 75 Million in investments at facilities in Portage la Prairie and Carberry.

Earlier this week, Potato Processor McCain Foods (Canada) announced the company will invest CAD 80 million towards the creation of a new Formed Potato Specialty production line to expand its existing french fry plant in Grand Falls, NB.

Potato processing plants in Manitoba and Alberta may not run at full capacity this winter. About 20,000 acres of potatoes were in the ground in Manitoba as of the middle of October, and growers needed two weeks of favourable weather to harvest the crop.

Cavendish Farms’ newest plant is officially open for business. The announcement was made at a ceremony held today at the new Lethbridge frozen potato processing facility.

The United Potato Growers of Canada (UPGC) has released its most recent Canadian Potato Crop Report.

Guest Farms Ltd. of Holmesville was named the 2018-2019 McCain Champion Potato Grower for Florenceville-Bristol during the 46th Annual McCain Growers’ Banquet held August 22.

McCain Foods Canada, a division of McCain Foods Limited, shared today the company’s plan to further invest CAD 12 Million dollars in its potato processing facility in the French fry capital of the world, Florenceville, New Brunswick.

The United Potato Growers of Canada have released an update on the condition of the Canadian Potato Crop, as per August 15, 2019

Statistics Canada has published an estimate of the potato acreage for 2019. An update on the current condition of the crop was provided by United Potato Growers Canada.

McCain Foods, the global leader in frozen french fries, potato specialties and appetizers, announces a new strategic partnership and lead investment in NUGGS, a New York based start-up.

McDonald’s restaurants in Ontario gave away more than half a million orders of free french fries during the Toronto Raptors 2019 NBA playoffs run, the company said Monday, after tallying the final numbers for its runaway promotion.

On April 16, 2019, McCain Foods (Canada) celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Portage la Prairie, Manitoba facility and also officially opened its new potato receiving area at a special ceremony hosted onsite at the potato processing facility.

Manitoba’s potato sector is gearing up to supply an expanding industry but seed supplies will be tight after a tough harvest last season. A number of producers are planning capital upgrades to keep up with the rise in demand.

Cavendish Farms is working to develop potato varieties that can thrive in dry growing conditions on Prince Edward Island, says the company’s president Robert Irving.