Good Food. Better Life.

Ostend, Belgium, October 30, 2009 – Today the management of McCain Belgium signed a transfer of its ready-meals branch activities in Ostend with Mrs. Isabelle Nojac and Mr. Abdelhaq Belhaj, two French entrepreneurs specialising in mass retailing and industry. The sale takes place within the framework of the current collective bargaining agreement, which means that all rights and obligations of the staff currently in force will remain unchanged. The buyers have expressed their desire to retain all jobs in Ostend. The new company will henceforth be called FRIMA N.V.

McCain Foods is genuinely convinced that the continuity of its business activities in Ostend is best served by making it an independent entity. To ensure this continuity, McCain Foods will therefore remain the largest customer of the new entity in a partnership concerning several snack products for the European markets.

“This transfer is the result of McCain’s strategy to focus more on its core and branded businesses, in other words the production and sale of McCain potato products and appetizers” said Jean Bernou, CEO of McCain Foods in Continental Europe.

To ensure a smooth transition, McCain Belgium is committed to providing support for the buyers over a period of six months.

About McCain Foods Limited:

McCain Foods Limited is an international leader in the frozen food industry, employing 20,000 people and operating 55 production facilities on six continents. A privately owned company headquartered in Florenceville and Toronto, Canada, McCain Foods has annual sales of CDN$6.5 billion. McCain Foods is the world’s largest producer of frozen potato specialties. The company’s products can be found in thousands of restaurants and supermarket freezers in more than 130 countries around the world.