Sep 13, 2004 12:33 PM, from staff and wire reports

New Brunswick, Canada-based frozen food giant McCain Foods plans to acquire Midwest Foods Inc.

This transaction includes Midwest’s french fry processing plant in Carberry, Manitoba. No purchase price was disclosed, and regulatory approval for the deal is still required.

“We plan to operate the plant as another quality production unit in our North American network of potato processing facilities,” said Dale Morrison, chief executive officer of McCain.

McCain intends to invest a minimum of $13 million to improve the Carberry facility, which has 400 workers. The acquisition would bring to 16 the number of food processing plants operated in Canada by McCain.

Reportedly the world’s largest producer of frozen french-fried potatoes, McCain has more than 55 factories on six continents and more than 20,000 employees.