McCain Foods invests in “renewal” of UK facility

McCain Foods has unveiled plans to “renew” its Scarborough production facility in the UK as part of a proposed investment in its operations of more than GBP100m (US$121m).

The Canada-based group said in addition to equipment upgrades, “the renewal plans include state-of-the-art odour reduction technology, as well as extensive landscaping around the perimeter of the factory”.

The company said it will also be “implementing renewable technology to further reduce its environmental impact”.

McCain corporate affairs director Bill Bartlett said: “This is a significant investment for McCain, and one that will allow us to meet the ongoing increased demand for our products, address long-term capacity and capability opportunities and deliver the latest technology and broader environmental benefits. This proposal certainly secures our operations in Scarborough and continued employment in the area for decades to come.

The company said its proposal is currently “at the pre-planning stage, with full plans to be submitted for consultation in the coming weeks”.

In January, McCain announced plans to shed jobs at its dry and cold store operations at its Scarborough facility.

A spokesperson for McCain told just-food that, subject to employee consultations, the company expectd the move will affect 74 hourly and salaried positions at the facility. The group employs 736 people at the site.