Toronto, ON – With the release of the global 2024 Sustainability Report, McCain Foods continues to make progress towards its goal to provide products that are more sustainably sourced while delivering good food to consumers and supporting the communities where it operates.
As part of McCain’s commitment to partnering with more than 3,900 farmers worldwide to implement regenerative agriculture practices across 100 percent of their potato acreage used to grow McCain potatoes by 2030, we are pleased to report that in fiscal year 2024, 71 percent of our farmers were onboarded to the McCain Regenerative Agriculture Framework, and 24 percent are engaged in practices that aim to improve farm resilience, demonstrating strong progress for regenerative agriculture methods. These are key benchmarks indicating McCain is well on its way to meeting this commitment.
"Agriculture is at the heart of our business, and our commitment to regenerative agriculture is at the core of our sustainability journey,” said Max Koeune, President and CEO of McCain Foods. “In the face of challenges like extreme weather, geopolitical unrest and inflation, McCain remains dedicated to working with partners and communities to drive meaningful progress toward its targets to achieve a resilient supply chain and a more sustainable future.”
McCain has made good progress across its four sustainability pillars. Notably, strides were made with renewable electricity accounting for nearly 25 percent of McCain’s total electrical energy use in 2024, a 12 percent absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) since 2017 and a 20 percent improvement in water use efficiency at priority plants since 2017.
Key 2024 Sustainability Highlights: Smart And Sustainable Farming
- 71 percent of our farming partners were onboarded to the McCain Regenerative Agriculture Framework, and 24 percent are engaged.
- Expanded global agricultural financial support partnerships, with nearly half of McCain farming partners eligible for regenerative agriculture loans or incentives.
- Delivered 25,600 plus hours of training to help farming partners transition to regenerative farming methods.
- 22 percent of our total portfolio used water-stress tolerant potato varieties.
Resource-Efficient Operations
- 23 percent of McCain’s total electrical energy consumption is from renewable electricity.
- 12 percent absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2017.
- 20 percent improvement in water use efficiency at priority plants since 2017.
- Approximately 9 percent reduction in food waste intensity across operations since 2020.
- Approximately 99 percent of paper packaging and 92 percent of plastic packaging is designed to be recyclable.
Good Food
- 97 percent of our eggs came from cage-free hens.
- Acquired vegetable-forward Strong Roots brand, expanding plant-forward product offering.
- 98 percent of McCain-owned facilities and tier one ingredient supplier facilities achieved GFSI-recognized certification.
- Reduced the sales-weighted average sodium in McCain-branded appetizer products by 6.5 percent since 2018.
Thriving Communities
- Donated more than 18 million meals to food banks and NGOs in 2024.
- Contributed over 24,000 employee volunteer hours in 2024.
- Supported 13,971 vulnerable farmers and families since 2018, achieving McCain’s 2025 target a year ahead of schedule.
- Launched flagship community project, the Eastfield Community Shop in partnership with Community Shop Group in the UK, which benefitted 1,262 community members in its first year.
- Through Project Utthan, helped vulnerable farmers increase their income by 25 percent through transitioning to high-yield, short-term crops.
Also included in McCain’s 2024 Sustainability Report is progress towards supporting safety and employee experience within internal operations.
"It is through collaboration across the value chain that we are able to drive progress,” says Max Koeune. "Our ambition to lead in regenerative agriculture has the potential to drive meaningful progress for farmers, communities, and consumers. As we look to the future, we recognize there is more to do and strive to amplify these efforts, creating a lasting impact on the global food system.”