FAQ

Product information

Where can I buy McCain products?

We sell our products via wholesalers and distributors. To find a wholesaler or distributor near you, please fill in the contact form

Which product will best suit my needs?

You can search products by various filters so you will see all the products that may fit your needs. Alternatively you can fill in the contact form  and someone from our team will be in touch.

Does McCain have products suitable for delivery?

Yes, we have many products suiting your needs. Please click here to find out which products are suitable for delivery <<link to preslected filter delivery on product overview page>>. We have a lot of help for you on your delivery business, click here for mroe information <<link to good to go section>>

Can I try before I buy?

Yes, you can fill in the contact form and someone from our team will be in touch.

Can I get advice on specific products?

You can find all product information under the product section  of our website. If you can’t find the information you are looking for fill in the contact form  and someone from our team will be in touch.

How do I find out allergen and dietary information?

If you click on the product you are interested in the relevant icons will be displayed. You can also search the products by claims.

Does McCain have vegan or vegetarian products?

Yes, we do. Please click here to filter & see which products are vegan or vegetarian 

Are McCain Products Halal?

Yes, all McCain products sold here in the Middle East are Halal.

How do I find out the number of pieces per unit?

Visit the relevant product page on the website for information.

How can I recycle the McCain packaging?

Our cartons can be put to the paper recycling. The recycling process of bags varies among regions and countries, please follow your local guidelines. We are continuously collaborating  with all the parties to improve our packaging and working towards sustainability.

Are all McCain products frozen?

McCain Foods is primarily a frozen food company, but we offer non-frozen products too, in some markets. 

 Does McCain only make potato products?

No, we also offer other great tasting appetizers and waffles. Please click here to read more about our appetizers <<link to P!ckers page>>.

Using McCain products

The oil is too dark after frying. How can I solve that?

There are several ways to address this problem:

  • Salt the products after frying in a separate tray, not above the fryer.
  • Filter your frying oil daily and replace the oil every three to five days.
  • Clean the fryer thoroughly at least once a week.
  • Check the thermostat, your oil temperature might be too high.

The fries have a ice crystals among them. What can I do?

Ice crystals are formed when the fries have been defrosted and then re-frozen. Make sure the fries are always kept frozen in your store and that they aren't (partly) defrosted during transport or storing.

My McCain fries are greasy and not crunchy after frying. How is that possible?

This can be due to a number of things: You haven't fried them long enough, the frying basket is too full, the frying basket is hanging above the fryer, your oil is old or dirty, the oil isn't hot enough or the fryer has a poor heat recovery system. If you adapt one or more of these factors, we guarantee you'll fry your fries will be crunchy and tasty again.

Can McCain product be prepared in the oven?

Yes, many of our products can. Please visit the product section on the website, you can filter on preparation method and will find different types of professional ovens there.

About our potatoes

How do you know where your potatoes come from?

Every batch of potatoes delivered to McCain comes with its own ‘passport’ – giving us traceability of our products right back to the field where the potatoes were grown.

What ingredients do you use in your products?

At McCain, we take simple ingredients and prepare them with care. No artificial colours or flavours – just real, convenient food you can trust and enjoy. Most of our products simply consist of potato and sunflower oil. Some of our products have coatings and spice mixes for added flavour. For more information on our products, including ingredients, cooking instructions and nutritional values – visit the product section of our website.

Where do most potatoes McCain uses come from?

In Europe: France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland. The aim is to grow the potatoes as close as possible (radius of 100 kilometers) to the processing plants, so that the transport distances from the grower to the factory are as short as possible. This gives us the lowest possible carbon footprint in terms of raw material sourcing.

What is the position of McCain on sustainability?

Please visit our sustainability section for more details

Does McCain grow its own potatoes?

Although we do have some McCain-owned farm operations most of the potatoes used in our products are grown by independent farmers who contract with McCain before planting the year's crop. McCain agronomists work closely with these growers to help them constantly improve the quality and yield of their crops

Other

I have a complaint. What can I do?

If you have a complaint about an McCain product, we would like to hear from you so that we can resolve it. Please contact us via the contact form. We will respond as soon as possible. Of course you can also call us at +971 4 881 5309. We are available on workdays between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

How do I apply for a job with McCain?

At McCain, we know that good people are the key ingredient to a successful business. Applications for vacancies can be made through our global website: www.mccain.com/careers/

Who invented french fries?

No one is sure about the origin of french fries or French fries? We refer to Wikipedia. Belgian food historian Pierre Leclercq has traced the history of the french fry and asserts that "it is clear that fries are of French origin".Fries are first mentioned in 1775 in a Parisian book, and the first recipe for modern French fries is in the French cookbook La cuisinière républicaine in 1795. They became an emblematic Parisian dish in the 19th century. Frédéric Krieger, a Bavarian musician, learned to cook fries at a roaster on rue Montmartre in Paris in 1842, and took the recipe to Belgium in 1844, where he would create his business Fritz and sell "la pomme de terre frite à l'instar de Paris", 'Paris-style fried potatoes'. The modern style of fries born in Paris around 1855 is different from the domestic fried potato that existed in the 18th century.

In 1673, Francisco Núñez de Pineda mentioned eating "papas fritas" in 1629, but it is not known what exactly these were. Fries may have been invented in Spain, the first European country in which the potato appeared from the New World colonies.Professor Paul Ilegems, curator of the Frietmuseum in Bruges, Belgium, believes that Saint Teresa of Ávila of Spain cooked the first french fries, and refers also to the tradition of frying in Mediterranean cuisine as evidence.

The French and Belgians have an ongoing dispute about where fries were invented.

From the Belgian standpoint, the popularity of the term "french fries" is explained as "French gastronomic hegemony" into which the cuisine of Belgium was assimilated, because of a lack of understanding coupled with a shared language and geographic proximity of the countries.The Belgian journalist Jo Gérard claimed that a 1781 family manuscript recounts that potatoes were deep-fried prior to 1680 in the Meuse valley, as a substitute for frying fish when the rivers were frozen.Gérard never produced the manuscript that supports this claim, and "the historical value of this story is open to question".In any case, it is unrelated to the later history of the french fry, as the potato did not arrive in the region until around 1735. In any case, given 18th-century economic conditions: "it is absolutely unthinkable that a peasant could have dedicated large quantities of fat for cooking potatoes. At most they were sautéed in a pan".