McCain Foods to expand potato processing facility in Canada

McCain Foods Canada is set to expand its potato processing facility with an investment of C$80m ($60.6m).

As part of this initiative, the company will add a new high-speed formed potato speciality production line at its Grand Falls, New Brunswick, facility.

The installation of the speciality line is part of the company’s strategy to meet the growing demand for its products from retail and foodservice customers in North America.

McCain Foods North America Integrated Supply Chain vice-president Dale McCarthy said: “Today’s investment announcement at our Grand Falls facility reflects McCain’s commitment to the potato business in New Brunswick and to the people that live and work in the Grand Falls community.”

New Brunswick is said to be one of the key potato-growing regions in Canada and represents an estimated 15% of the total Canadian production and acreage.

McCarthy added: “Based on the Grand Falls facility expansion, there will be demand for an additional 1,200 hectares of harvested potatoes by New Brunswick potato growers to supply the new high-speed formed potato specially line.

“With today’s announcement, both the Grand Falls facility and the recent Florenceville expansion will provide McCain Foods with two of the largest formed speciality lines in the industry.”

The investment will see the addition of new advanced technologies to enhance the processing capabilities of the facility, as well as installation of food safety, processing and packaging equipment.

The move, according to the company, will create approximately 80 full-time jobs at the facility.

In October 2017, McCain Foods expanded its potato processing facility in Florenceville-Bristol with a C$65m ($51.46m) investment.

It is considered to be one of the major investments made by the company in the last decade and has seen the addition of a new 35,000ft² McCain Foods potato speciality production line.