McCain Foods, Campbell, and the Soil Health Institute will
use the funds to implement climate-smart practices on more than
6,000 acres of farmland.
OAKBROOK
TERRACE, Ill., Nov. 7, 2023
/PRNewswire/ -- McCain Foods USA was awarded $6.9
million in funding through the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA)'s Regional Conservation Partnership Program
(RCPP), which will be used as part of an "Improving Soil Health in
Potato Supply Chains" project.
Under that project, McCain Foods USA and its partners, Campbell Soup Company
and the Soil Health Institute (SHI), will help potato farmers
implement soil health and climate-smart agriculture practices and
systems on more than 6,000 acres in Wisconsin and Maine. McCain and Campbell both have corporate programs to help
growers in their supply chains adopt regenerative agriculture
practices and help fight climate change.
"As potato growers face increasing challenges from climate
change and variable weather, shifting towards smart and sustainable
farming practices is vital," said Dan
Metheringham, McCain Foods' Vice President of Agriculture
North America. "We are profoundly grateful that USDA has invested
nearly $7 million in our soil health
project, which will advance our work with McCain growers and
customers to re-imagine the way potatoes are grown. The funding
award is an important step toward meeting McCain's bold commitment
to implement regenerative agricultural practices across 100 percent
of our potato acreage worldwide by the end of 2030."
The project will use the USDA funding to scale up an existing
soil health technical assistance partnership, supporting
sustainable farming that prioritizes soil health through residue
and tillage management, cover cropping, nutrient management, soil
carbon amendment, and pest management. Growers participating in the
program will form peer coaching cohorts to build their conservation
plans with support from SHI. McCain has successfully piloted this
model with SHI and growers in other regions.
"Potatoes are a key ingredient in many of our products including
soup and chips, so it is important for us to support our partner
growers in adopting and increasing sustainable agricultural
practices," said Stewart Lindsay,
Campbell's Vice President of
Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability. "We are grateful
for the USDA's support and look forward to partnering to advance
soil health and climate-smart agriculture practices in our supply
chain."
In 2021, McCain Foods established its Regenerative Agriculture
Framework, designed to support farmers in their progression to a
more regenerative farming model for potatoes. The framework was
developed in consultation with farmer representatives, university
academics, scientific organizations, customers, and non-profit
organizations. McCain's RCPP project is the latest in a series of
initiatives McCain has undergone to implement its regenerative
agriculture framework since it was established.
This partnership will also contribute to Campbell's ongoing potato sustainability
program, including other initiatives launched this year to support
its growers to adopt and measure the impact of regenerative
agriculture practices.
The full list of this year's RCPP awards, including McCain's
Improving Soil Health in Potato Supply Chains project, can be found
on the NRCS website.
About McCain Foods USA
McCain Foods USA is a leading supplier of frozen potato and
snack food products for the foodservice markets, retail grocery
chains and private label brands in restaurants and supermarket
freezers across the country. McCain Foods USA Inc., headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, employs 4,000
people and operates production facilities in Idaho, Maine,
Nebraska, Washington and Wisconsin. For more information, visit
https://www.mccainusafoodservice.com/.
About McCain Foods
McCain Foods is the world's
largest manufacturer of frozen potato products and supplies french
fries, potato specialties, appetizers and desserts to retail and
foodservice customers around the globe. McCain is the international
leader in the frozen food industry, employing over 21,000 people
and operating 52 production facilities on six continents.
About Campbell
For
more than 150 years, Campbell
(NYSE:CPB) has been connecting people through food they love.
Generations of consumers have trusted us to provide delicious and
affordable food and beverages. Headquartered in Camden, N.J. since 1869, the company generated
fiscal 2023 net sales of $9.4
billion. Our portfolio includes iconic brands such as
Campbell's, Cape Cod, Goldfish, Kettle Brand, Lance, Late
July, Milano, Pace, Pacific Foods,
Pepperidge Farm, Prego, Snyder's
of Hanover, Swanson and V8. The
company has a heritage of giving back and acting as a good steward
of the environment and is a member of the Standard & Poor's 500
as well as the FTSE4Good and Bloomberg Gender-Equality Indices. For
more information, visit www.campbellsoupcompany.com.
Contact:
Amy Griffith
amy.griffith@mccain.com
James Regan
james_regan@campbells.com
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SOURCE McCain Foods USA