Canadian food giant McCain, best known for its frozen fries, this week unveiled both an update on its sustainability goals and “regen fries” to be sold through food retailers in the UK and US.
The limited-release “fries of the future” are part of McCain’s new campaign to educate consumers on why regenerative agriculture matters for the future of the food system. According to McCain, the fries are made “exclusively” with potatoes grown on the company’s Farm of the Future in North America.
The idea is to influence “everyday choices” for consumers by making it “easy to dig in on regenerative agriculture,” McCain Foods’ chief innovation and marketing officer Christine Kalvenes said in a statement.
To that end, the “regen fries” concept is more than just fries. A dedicated website also includes a short film, an AR immersive experience, cameos from actress Rachel Brosnahan (pictured) and others, a video game, and several other elements that essentially gamify regenerative agriculture education. Participants can also win prizes, including, of course, fries.
Various studies and surveys show that while many consumers have heard of regenerative agriculture, few actually understand the concept. As other industry players discussed this week at the Regenerative Food Systems Investment (RFSI) Europe event in Brussels, branding is one of the keys to reaching more consumers with the regen ag message — and potentially convincing them to pay a premium for it, too.
Alongside its regen fries announcement, McCain also released its 2024 Global Sustainability Report, which outlines the company’s regenerative ag goals and progress thus far.
Its six principles of regenerative agriculture are: minimize soil disturbance; integrate organic and livestock elements; enhance crop and ecosystem diversity; ensure farm resilience; armor soils, preferably with living plants; and reduce agro-chemical impact and optimize water use.
McCain says it will implement regen practices “across 100% of [its] potato acreage used to grow McCain potatoes by 2030.”
To do this, it is partnering with over 3,900 farmers around the world. The company says it onboarded 71% of those in 2024, and that 24% are “engaged in practices that aim to improve farm resilience.”
