Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has announced that it has completed construction of a $182 million expansion to its Winnipeg prepared meats plant, significantly increasing its bacon production capacity with new in-house capacity for pre-cooked, microwaveable bacon.
Final commissioning of the 73,000 square-foot expansion at the Lagimodiere Boulevard site in Winnipeg is expected to be completed soon, with commercial production ramping up over the course of the coming months. By building this capacity in-house, the plant will become the company's primary pre-cooked bacon production facility. As part of the expansion, Maple Leaf is in the process of adding approximately 350 new positions at the plant, bringing total plant employment to over 1,900 people.
"We are very excited to see this project come to life," said Michael McCain, Maple Leaf Foods President and CEO. "Our vision to become the most sustainable protein company on earth applies even to our very best convenience food, which includes delicious pre-cooked bacon. This state-of-the-art facility will deliver sustainably made cooked bacon products from meat humanely raised and without antibiotics, made by a carbon neutral company. We are really proud of this."
The Manitoba government is investing approximately $1.9 million through the Industry Expansion Program to support skills training for approximately 350 new and existing employees at Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
“The pre-cooked bacon industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in North America,” said Economic Development and Jobs Minister Jon Reyes. “Our government’s investment in Maple Leaf Foods Inc.’s expansion will help Manitoba’s economy to recover from COVID-19, strengthen training opportunities in the meat sector, and support innovation and job creation in an industry that is in high demand.”
Manitoba is implementing a two-year agreement with Maple Leaf for the creation of approximately 350 new positions.
Currently, Maple Leaf sources raw material from Brandon and processes it through co-manufacturers in the U.S. As part of the expansion program, this operation will move to Maple Leaf’s Lagimodiere Boulevard facility in Winnipeg to reduce freight and product costs. Raw material will continue to be sourced from Brandon and the Lagimodiere facility will be the secondary processor. Manitoba’s contribution to the program will cover costs associated with training and developing the new employees.
“Maple Leaf Foods is a global leader in food and protein processing, and this investment builds on our protein strategy, which focuses on sustainability and innovation,” said Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Ralph Eichler. “Their expansion will advance our protein value chain and create significant spin offs that will strengthen the entire industry – all the way from the farm gate to the consumer’s plate.”
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