Q:  How can I find out about employment opportunities with McCain?

A:  You may search and apply for positions on our McCain Corporate site or upload your resumé/CV using the Career Search tool at McCain.com.

Q: Who invented french fries and when?

A: No one is really sure about the origin of french fries. They became popular in France by the late 1800s, and there are also claims that they really originated in Belgium. American soldiers were introduced to them by French-speaking Belgians when they fought in Europe during World War I – and called them “French fries.” It is even said that Thomas Jefferson served “potatoes fried in the French manner” in the White House in the early 1800s. The British, of course, call french fries “chips,” and England is the land of “fish and chips.”

Q:  I cannot find McCain® frozen foods at my local grocery store. Can you please let me know where I can find these products?

A:  Thank you for your interest in our products. McCain® products are available at most grocery store chains. If they are not available at your local grocery store, please speak with the store manager and share your desire to have our products made available.

Q:  If I have a problem with a McCain® product, should I return it to the store?

A:  That is one option. If the store is unable to resolve the matter to your satisfaction, we’d be happy to work with you to see what can be done.  Our Consumer Affairs department can assist you by telephone, email, or letter.  Click here to contact us.

Q:   Is McCain Foods a Canadian company?

A:  Yes, McCain was started by two McCain brothers in New Brunswick and is still owned by the McCain family. While McCain is a Canadian family-owned business, it is a global powerhouse with 55 plants across six continents.

Q:  Can you send me any coupons?

A:  We appreciate your interest in our products, however, we do not distribute coupons upon request. We do work with retail grocers to periodically run in-store sales or promotions on our products. Please watch your grocery flyers or store shelves for special sale prices.

Q: I wish to suggest a business proposal to you?  How do I go about doing that?

A: Our Consumer Affairs office does not accept business proposals.  Our company also is not accepting recipe ideas or marketing suggestions.  We have a staff of Research & Development and Marketing individuals who develop these ideas in house.

Q:  I have heard about McCain It's all good™, how can I learn more about it?

A:  McCain Foods (Canada) is on a journey to provide great-tasting, convenient frozen food that is made from simple ingredients like you would find in your own kitchen. To read more about McCain It's all good™, click here.

Q:  Are all McCain products now made with simple, familiar ingredients?

A:  McCain Foods (Canada) has changed more than 70 of our pizza, potato and Pizza Pockets® snacks already and we are on a journey to continue to change our recipes to include simple, familiar ingredients. To learn more about our journey, click here.

Q:  I thought all those strange-sounding names were there to make my food taste better – do your new products taste the same?

A:  Yes!  We were able to remove the unfamiliar ingredients and keep the same great taste – in fact, consumers have reported that some of our products taste even better! McCain It's all good™ means good food without compromising the taste!

Q:  Are all McCain products made with ingredients like you would use if you made it yourself from scratch?

A:  A majority of our retail products have been updated to be made from ingredients like you would use if you made it yourself from scratch.  There are still some products that we are currently reformulating and plan to have updated in the near future. To read more about McCain It's all good™, click here.

Q:  My McCain® frozen food product was left out of the freezer and has thawed, can I still use it?

A:  This depends on what product you are using. Our desserts can be thawed before you eat or serve them, and our frozen concentrates can be thawed before you use them as well. If you are using a pizza, potato or Pizza Pockets® snacks, we recommend that you discard the product if it has thawed.

Q: Can I keep my McCain® frozen food product in the refrigerator?

A: No, for food safety, you should not use frozen food products if they have thawed. To prevent food-borne illness, we recommend that you discard  frozen food products that have thawed.

Q: Are your potatos pre-cooked?

A: Yes, some are blanched and some are both blanched and par fried.  None are raw.  All of our products require additional preparation/cooking prior to eating; they are not considered Ready to Eat.

Q: Are McCain® potato products fried?

A: Yes, some of our products are par fried in vegetable oil.  Par frying is a hot, fast, frying method (hot = oil temp. of 380° or above, fast = fried only 30 to 60 seconds).  All of our products require additional preparation/cooking prior to eating.

Q:  How long are McCain beverages good for after it is mixed?

A:  Products that are stored in a covered container will be good for about 5 days in the refrigerator.

Q:  Can you tell me if my McCain dessert is expired/too old to eat?

A:  McCain® Cream Pies can be stored in your freezer for up to 6 Months. All other McCain desserts can be stored in your freezer for up to 1 year. Desserts can be refrigerated for a maximum of 4 days, however the quality will be reduced and the texture drier in most cases than if served directly from freezer.

Q:    The packaging has changed, what’s different about it?

A:    You will notice that we have updated the pizza product shots – fresh, hot, and full pizzas are being displayed.  We’ve also simplified the back of the package, making the baking instructions and ingredients easier to read.

Q:  What are the natural flavours that you use in your Pizza Pockets® snacks?

A:  We use natural flavours to give complexity and depth to our Pizza Pockets® snacks fillings. Depending on the filling, we use natural bacon, smoke, chicken, beef, vegetable, red wine, maple, lemon, or rosemary flavours, or combinations thereof.

Q:   Overall what has changed with the new recipes?

A:   Almost everything.  We have improved the taste of our Crust, Sauce, Cheese, and most toppings yet still maintaining our simple ingredients that you would find in your own kitchen. We wanted to have our best tasting frozen pizza.  We’re very proud of using simple ingredients to create a great tasting pizza and hope you see and taste the difference too.

Q:  Why is your pepperoni different than the pepperoni on other pizzas?

A:  Our pepperoni contains familiar ingredients – pork, beef, garlic powder, celery powder – simple ingredients like you would find in your own kitchen. Who wants a pepperoni packed with unpronounceable ingredients?

Q: What are the natural colours that you use in some of  your potato products?

A: McCain uses a blend of caramel and annatto for natural colour in our potato products. We use caramel and annatto to introduce a natural golden brown colour to your potato products, giving them an appealing “restaurant-fried” appearance. Caramel is the most widely used natural colour in the food & beverage industry. It is obtained from the heating and browning of sugars. Annatto has been used as a natural colour since ancient times. It is a natural golden yellow colour obtained from the seeds of a tree (Bixa orellana).

Q: If your products are now made with simple ingredients like those I would find in my kitchen, does this mean they don't last as long in my freezer?

A: No - our products still have the same shelf life, meaning you can still keep them on hand in your freezer, for a quick, easy meal - one that you can feel good about serving.

Q: Why are there still ingredients that I don't use in my kitchen?

A: We are on a journey to make good food, made from simple, wholesome ingredients.  When you look at the ingredients listed on our packages you will see familiar names - ingredients you would use if you were making a recipe at home, from scratch in your own kitchen.  If there is an ingredient that is not familiar then we will provide the explanation as to why we are using it.  Check out our ingredient lists online today!

Q:  How can I learn more about the ingredients you have in your products?

A:  On our website, we have our ingredient list for every McCain It's all good™ product and also provide an explanation of a number of our ingredients. Click to find out more about the ingredients in your favourite Potato product, Pizza product or Pizza Pockets®  snacks.

Q:  Do McCain beverages contain any allergens or sensitive ingredients?

A:  None of our juices, drinks or punches contain gluten, dairy/casein, nuts or eggs, although some may contain sulfites. For more information please refer to the ingredient label on the product or on the product page within the website.

Q:  What is the natural flavour used in McCain beverages?

A:  We use natural flavours to give complexity and depth to our products to get that fresh, thirst quenching taste that your family has come to love. We use a variety of natural flavours to match the many flavour profiles of beverages we produce. Some examples of natural flavours we would use are natural peach and natural mango flavour for Old South® Orange Peach Mango Juice Blend, natural strawberry and natural kiwi in McCain Cool Quenchers® Strawberry Kiwi punch, and natural tea and natural lemon for McCain Cool Quenchers® Lemon Iced Tea. For more information on the natural flavour in your favourite McCain Beverage please contact customer service.

Q:  What is the natural colour used in McCain beverages?

A:  Natural colours are used to reinforce the colour already present in the product. Depending on the colour profile of the beverage, we will use a variety of natural plant sources.

For reds and purples we use elderberry and grape skin extracts.  Turmeric and annatto, which both are from seeds of plants, are used to give a natural golden yellow or orange colour. For Browns we use Caramel which is obtained from the heating and browning of sugars.

Q:  Does McCain buy concentrate from China?

A:  We do buy concentrate from China, primarily apple juice concentrate. We purchase from a small number of suppliers with whom we have been dealing with for a number of years and we have full confidence in their ability to ensure the safety of the ingredients they provide.

Q:  Are there any animal ingredients in your desserts?

A:  Our Triple Chill®, Deep n’ Delicious® and Delite® cakes all contain gelatin which is derived from animal products.

Q:  Vos desserts contiennent-ils des ingrédients de source animale?

R:  Les gâteaux Triple ChillMD, Deep n’ DeliciousMD et DeliteMD contiennent de la gélatine, un dérivé de produits de source animale.

Q:  Do McCain desserts contain any peanuts or tree nuts?

A:  We do not manufacture retail desserts that contain ingredients sourced from tree nuts or peanuts, nor are these ingredients brought onto our production floors although our plants and co manufacturing plants do not carry the title of being NUT FREE.

Q:  Is the mono and diglycerides from an animal or vegetable source?

A:  The Mono and diglycerides in our desserts are vegetable soy based fats used as an emulsifier to provide a consistent texture and prevent separation of the product.