McCain Foods is moving closer to its objective of offering more sustainably derived products, which will help the communities in which it operates while providing consumers with high-quality food. This is demonstrated by the publication of the global 2024 Sustainability Report.

McCain’s representatives recently revealed that in fiscal year 2024, 71% of its farmers were Onboarded to the McCain Regenerative Agriculture Framework, and 24% are Engaged in practices that aim to improve farm resilience, demonstrating strong progress for regenerative agriculture methods. This is part of the company’s commitment to work with more than 3,900 farmers worldwide to implement regenerative agriculture practices across 100% of their potato acreage used to grow McCain potatoes by 2030. These are important indicators that show McCain is making good progress on fulfilling this pledge.

“Agriculture is at the heart of our business, and our commitment to regenerative agriculture is at the core of our sustainability journey. 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,” Max Koeune, President and CEO of McCain Foods, mentioned.

In each of its four sustainability pillars, McCain has made good strides. Notably, McCain made significant progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 12% since 2017, improving water usage efficiency at key plants by 20% since 2017, and using renewable electricity for over 25% of its entire electrical energy use in 2024.

Key 2024 Sustainability Highlights: Smart and Sustainable Farming

• 71% of the company’s farming partners were Onboarded to the McCain Regenerative Agriculture Framework, and 24% 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+ hours of training to help farming partners transition to regenerative farming methods;
• 22% of our total portfolio used water-stress tolerant potato varieties.

Resource-Efficient Operations

• 23% of McCain’s total electrical energy consumption is from renewable electricity;
• 12% absolute reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions since 2017;
• 20% improvement in water use efficiency at priority plants since 2017;
• Approximately 9% reduction in food waste intensity across operations since 2020;
• Approximately 99% of paper packaging and 92% of plastic packaging is designed to be recyclable.

Good Food

• Acquired vegetable-forward Strong Roots brand, expanding plant-forward product offering;
• 98% 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% since 2018.

Thriving Communities

• Donated more than 18m 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 benefited 1,262 community members in its first year;
• Through Project Utthan, helped vulnerable farmers increase their income by 25% 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. 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,” Max Koeune concluded.