McCain: Engaging Consumers with Regenerative Agriculture

Nearly all Americans (98%), Brits (99%) and Canadians (98%) eat fries, according to McCain Foods.

However, most people don’t know what regenerative agriculture is, or how it can impact the food – especially friends – that they are eating. 

McCain defines regenerative agriculture as “an ecosystem-based approach to farming that aims to improve farm resilience, crop yield and quality by improving soil health and water quality, optimising water use, enhancing biodiversity and reducing the impact of synthetic inputs.”

McCain has developed six key principles of regenerative agriculture that can be applied to the farming of potatoes:

• Ensure farm resilience
• Armour soils, preferably with living plants
• Enhance crop and ecosystem diversity
• Minimise soil disturbance
• Reduce agro-chemical impact and optimise water use
• Integrate organic and livestock elements

Addressing the consumer knowledge gap

The report says that 62% of Americans consider themselves ‘sustainably conscious’ and 74% of Americans would be interested to learn about where their food comes from, but only 8% know a lot about regenerative agriculture and 35% have never heard of it.

Despite this lack of awareness, the appetite for knowledge is strong—58% of British respondents and similar numbers in North America expressed interest in learning more about farming and regenerative agriculture practices.

To bridge this gap, McCain has launched its "Taste Good. Feel Good." campaign, designed to help consumers understand why regenerative farming matters and how their purchasing choices can support the transition to a more resilient food system. The campaign brings to life the farm-to-fry experience, demonstrating how French fries can have purpose beyond their appeal as a food product.

“At McCain, farming is at the heart of all we do,” shares Christine Kalvenes, McCain Foods’ Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer. 

“That is why we’re committed to advancing regenerative agriculture—to secure the future of fries and ensure they Taste Good and Feel Good. But real change happens when we all come together. Through everyday choices and the many ways we have made it easy to dig in on regenerative agriculture—whether learning, engaging, or enjoying our delicious Regen Fries—consumers can help make a difference for the future of farming.”

Securing the future of fries

As the world's largest manufacturer of frozen potato products, McCain Foods is making significant progress on its ambitious commitment to implement regenerative agriculture practices across 100% of potato acreage used to grow its potatoes by 2030.

"Agriculture is at the heart of our business, and our commitment to regenerative agriculture is at the core of our sustainability journey,” says 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.”

According to the company's 2024 Sustainability Report, 71% of McCain's farming partners are now "Onboarded" to the McCain Regenerative Agriculture Framework, with 24% reaching the "Engaged" level—key benchmarks indicating the company is well on track toward meeting its sustainability goals.

This framework serves as a roadmap to support farmers' progression toward regenerative farming models, which aim to improve soil health, enhance biodiversity and create more resilient agricultural systems. 

Through its Farms of the Future initiative—commercial-scale hubs of research and innovation—McCain is testing and scaling regenerative practices that can be implemented by its network of more than 3,900 farmers worldwide.

McCain’s sustainability progress

McCain's regenerative agriculture initiatives form part of a comprehensive sustainability strategy spanning four pillars:

• Smart and sustainable farming
• Resource-efficient operations
• Good food
• Thriving communities

Nearly 25% of McCain’s total electrical energy use now comes from renewable sources, representing a 12% absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2) since 2017.

The company has also achieved a 20% improvement in water use efficiency at priority plants since 2017 and approximately 99% of its paper packaging and 92% of its plastic packaging is now designed to be recyclable.

In community engagement, McCain donated more than 18 million meals to food banks and NGOs in 2024 and contributed over 24,000 employee volunteer hours. The company has already reached its 2025 target of supporting vulnerable farmers and families, with 13,971 beneficiaries since 2018.

"It is through collaboration across the value chain that we are able to drive progress," says Max. 

"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 recognise there is more to do and strive to amplify these efforts, creating a lasting impact on the global food system."

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