Nieuws from Canada

Canada exported 14.0 million cwt of potatoes and potato products during the January-March quarter. According to the editor of North American Potato Market News (NAPMN), Bruce Huffaker, that fell 1.7 million cwt short of the 2009 pace, a 10.7% decline. ...

Entire fast-food empires have been built around the french fry. But companies still continue to pursue perfection -- as in, a better-for-you fry. The immodestly named Perfect Fry company, out of Calgary, claims to have nailed it. At the National Res...

Growers of processing potatoes in Manitoba have approved a deal with McCain Foods which will see production drop by 12 percent, with prices down around 15 percent. Gary Sloik, general manager of the Keystone Potato Producers Association, says growers w...

The Prince Edward Island Potato Board said it is disappointed that Cavendish Farms is appealing a new mediation and arbitration rule put in place this year. Under the Potato Board order, contracts must be worked out between Island potato processing p...

McCain Foods is laying off about 10 per cent of its workforce in Portage la Prairie this fall and Manitoba potato producers are expecting a leaner crop year.About 40 people out of a workforce of about 400 at McCain's in Portage are expected to be laid ...

Potato farmers selling potatoes to McCain Foods have seen their contract improved after going to arbitration.The farmers had complained McCain's offer price was not even close to what Cavendish Farms is giving its farmers. The issue went to arbitration...

In Manitoba, the potato crop is off to a record start - over half the potato acreage has been planted -, but that does not mean potato growers are pleased with how the spring has progressed. Growers of processing potatoes are still without price cont...

McCain Foods is permanently reducing the number of production shifts from 3 to 2 at its Borden-Carleton, P.E.I., plant this fall, leading to the layoff of 35 people.Calla Farn, vice-president of government and public relations and corporate affairs for...

The Potato Gene Repository at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Potato Research Centre in Fredericton is about to enter a new era with a $500,000 lab expansion.   What is a potato gene repository?   Think of it as a bank where more than 150 variet...

Chip Trips Frito-Lay Canada has launched a multimillion-dollar national campaign designed to bind its Lays brand closer to Canada by helping consumers explore the country from coast to coast.The new "Chip Trips"program offers discounts with ...

Prince Edward Island potato farmers have rejected a contract offered by McCain Foods, arguing the proposal was less than one accepted last week from a rival company.The farmers voted Tuesday night against what they called a disappointing price offered ...

Irish potato, one of the world's major food crops, is increasingly grown and processed for use in various products;consider the popularity of consumer favorites like French fries and potato chips. In the closely scrutinized food production industry, pr...

Cavendish Farms process growers voted to accept the company’s 2010 contract offer with overwhelming support despite an agreed upon cut in the base price at the end of the season.About 100 growers cast ballots in the recent secret vote and the offer — c...

McCain Foods (Canada) and Food Banks Canada today announced a multi-year partnership that will assist the almost 800,000 Canadians who rely on local food banks every month. McCain will donate a minimum of $1 million in cash and food over the next thre...

The Covered bridge Potato Chip company in New Brunswick is receiving a $100,000 loan guarantee from the provincial government today.   The manufacturer of kettle chips, located in the St. John River Valley, will use the financial backing to secure 17 ...

New Brunswick potato growers are playing the waiting game as negotiations for their 2010 contracts continue with McCain Foods Ltd. In mid March, growers learned the Florenceville-based company will cut the amount of potatoes it buys from them for proc...

Today McCain Foods Limited announced the appointment of Dirk Van de Put as Chief Operating Officer, effective May 17th, 2010. In this new role, created as a result of the company’s succession planning efforts, Van de Put will have direct accountability...

With new crushing capacity, millions of dollars for export market outreach, new research funding and facilities, and more, Canada's canola industry is poised for a decade of significant growth, said JoAnne Buth, president of the Canola Council of Canad...