MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO – Maple Leaf Foods announced the completion of the company’s “Bacon Centre of Excellence,” a C$182 million expansion to its Winnipeg prepared meats plant that significantly increases in-house capacity for pre-cooked, microwaveable bacon. The company expects final commissioning of the 73,000-square-foot expansion at the Lagimodiere Boulevard site in Winnipeg, Manitoba, to be completed in the near term.

The new in-house capacity for pre-cooked, microwaveable bacon positions the company to meet the growing customer and consumer demand for the product and drive innovation. The project is one of the many investments Maple Leaf has been making as the company continues to unlock value in its growing prepared meats business.

“We are very excited to see this project come to life,” said Michael H McCain, president and chief executive officer. “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 company expects to ramp up commercial production over the course of the coming months. The expansion will become Maple Leaf Food's primary pre-cooked bacon production facility. As part of the expansion, the company will add approximately 350 new positions at the plant, bringing total plant employment to more than 1,900 people.