Making
French Fries.

French fries on metal surface

Ever wondered how we create our delicious fries?
Find out how we turn a potato into a fry, from farm-to-fork.

Hands pick up a half cut potato (a seed potato) in a potato field, with tractor in the background

Our farming partners source propagated ‘seed potatoes’ which will grow into potato plants, with each plant yielding many potatoes.

Looking over a large ploughed potato field

At the optimal time, the ‘seed potatoes’ are planted evenly in rows into the soil.

Potato plant growing in field with its flowers in bloom, with sun in the background

The potato plant starts to grow with help from the right balance of sun and water.

Field of potato plants, with sun shining in the sky

The sun and water help grow a full canopy of leaves to maximize the natural process of photosynthesis across the entire field.

Gloved hand picking up potatoes from the ground, with gardening folk at their side.

Throughout the process, our McCain Agronomists work with our farming partners to help the crops reach their full potential.

Person walking down a soil track in a potato field, with potato plants in bloom on both sides of the track

Once the potatoes are at their optimum, they can be conserved in the ground...

Close up on potato plant in field

...by mowing, shredding, and defoliating the plant leaves - to pause the photosynthesis process.

Tractor and agricultural machinery in field, undertaking a potato harvest

When the time is right, our farming partners harvest the potatoes from the ground.

Potatoes on conveyor belt being sorted by hand wearing gloves, at a farm

The potatoes are then sorted, graded, and safely stored...

Potatoes in a truck at at farm

...until it is time to transport the potatoes to our McCain food factories.

Potatoes on conveyor belt in a McCain Foods production plant

Once in our McCain factory, the potatoes are sorted by size, steam peeled, and quickly blanched in water.

Image showing the process of potatoes turning into a French fry. Soil, potato with skin, pealed potato, cut into French fry shape

The potatoes are then cut into fries, expertly cooked, and quickly frozen.

Boxes of McCain french fries on a production line

Once packed into bags, they are freezer stored until delivery to our customers.

A bowl of French fries on a table. The French fries are standing vertically upright in the bowl.

Our potatoes and fries are regularly quality checked throughout the entire process, with safety as our #1 priority.

Table full of French fries, fries and chips from McCain Foods

We are proud that our delicious fries grace the tables of households and eating outlets around the world.