Maple Leaf Foods Reports Results for Third Quarter 2012

TSX: MFI
www.mapleleaffoods.com

TORONTO, Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX: MFI) today reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012.

• Adjusted Operating Earnings⁽¹⁾ for the third quarter were $76.3 million compared to $73.3 million last year
• Net earnings for the third quarter were $32.6 million, compared to $43.0 million in the third quarter last year
• Adjusted Earnings per Share⁽²⁾ were $0.29 compared to $0.34 last year ($0.27 excluding a $9.8 million tax adjustment associated with a prior acquisition)

"Our third quarter marked a return to operating profit growth in 2012 as we continue to enhance performance in our base business and execute our value creation strategies," said Michael H. McCain, President and CEO. "We are achieving earnings growth in our consumer facing prepared meats and bakery businesses, and managing higher input costs through responsible pricing. While the challenges of consumer bread demand and pork market conditions continue, we are seeing signs of improvement in both."

(1): Adjusted Operating Earnings, a non-IFRS measure, is defined as earnings from operations before restructuring and other related costs and associated gains, other income (expense) and the impact of the change in fair value of non-designated interest rate swaps, unrealized (gains) losses on commodity futures contracts and the change in fair value of biological assets.

(2): Adjusted Earnings per Share ("Adjusted EPS"), a non-IFRS measure, is defined as basic earnings per share adjusted for the impact of restructuring and other related costs and associated gains, the impact of the change in fair value of non-designated interest rate swaps, hedge ineffectiveness recognized in earnings, unrealized (gains) losses on commodity futures contracts, and the change in fair value of biological assets, net of tax and non-controlling interest.

Please refer to the section entitled Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures at the end of this news release.

Financial Overview

Business Segment Review

Following is a summary of sales by business segment:

The following table summarizes Adjusted Operating Earnings by business segment:

Protein Group

Sales for the Protein Group, which includes the Company's Meat Products Group and Agribusiness Group, declined 0.9% to $837.6 million in the third quarter of 2012, from $845.1 million for the prior year period. Adjusted Operating Earnings were $46.5 million compared to $46.2 million for the third quarter last year. Results for the Company's Meat Products Group and Agribusiness Group should be viewed in combination due to intercompany transactions and correlated factors within these operations.

Meat Products Group
Includes value-added prepared meats, lunch kits; and fresh pork, poultry and turkey products sold to retail, foodservice, industrial and convenience channels. Includes leading Canadian brands such as Maple Leaf ®, Schneiders ® and many leading sub-brands.

Meat Products Group sales for the third quarter declined 2.1% to $761.2 million from $777.2 million for the third quarter last year. After adjusting for the impact of a weaker Canadian dollar, which increased the sales value of pork exports, sales declined 2.9%, primarily due to lower foodservice sales in the prepared meats business.

Adjusted Operating Earnings for the third quarter increased 38.9% to $28.8 million compared to $20.8 million last year, driven by strong earnings growth in the prepared meats and fresh poultry businesses.

Branded sales growth and innovation, as well as operating cost reductions drove margin expansion in the prepared meats business. The Company's network transformation initiatives also contributed to results, although earnings growth was partly offset by lower sales volumes. The Company continues to manage cost inflation through price increases as required.

Sales of higher value products under the Maple Leaf Prime chicken brand and improvements in industry poultry processor margins drove higher earnings in the fresh poultry operations.

Earnings in primary pork processing were consistent with last year as higher pricing and margins in international exports were offset by weaker industry margins in North America.

Agribusiness Group
Consists of Canadian hog production, animal by-product recycling operations including bio-diesel manufacturing and distribution.

Sales in the Agribusiness Group increased 12.6% to $76.5 million for the third quarter compared to $67.9 million last year, reflecting higher toll feed sales.

Adjusted Operating Earnings for the third quarter of 2012 decreased 30.7% to $17.6 million compared to $25.4 million last year. Hog production earnings were lower due to a combination of higher feed costs and lower market prices for hogs. Lower earnings in the by-products recycling operations compared to historically strong levels last year as prices paid for raw materials and operating costs increased.

Bakery Products Group
Includes fresh and frozen bakery products, including breads, rolls, bagels, specialty and artisan breads, sweet goods, and fresh pasta and sauces sold to retail, foodservice and convenience channels. It includes national brands such as Dempster's^®, Tenderflake^®, Olivieri^® and New York Bakery Co^TM, and many leading regional brands.

Bakery Products Group sales for the third quarter decreased 3.8% to $401.3 million, compared to $417.0 million last year. After adjusting for the closure of a bakery in the U.K. and currency translation on sales in the U.S. and U.K., sales declined 2.3%, primarily related to lower volume in the fresh bakery business.

Adjusted Operating Earnings for the third quarter of 2012 increased 9.7% to $30.8 million compared to $28.1 million last year, driven by higher earnings in the fresh bakery and North American frozen bakery operations, partly offset by lower earnings in the fresh pasta business. Earnings in the U.K. bakery business were consistent with last year. Results benefited from positive hedging activities for raw materials during the quarter, although the Company continues to experience inflationary costs and projected increases in flour and dairy costs that will require offsetting price increases. Fresh bakery volumes were consistent with the second quarter of 2012, but lower than last year, reflecting industry volume declines. Despite the lower volumes, margins expanded in the fresh bakery business, principally through cost management. The North American frozen bakery business benefited from higher pricing and increased sales volumes compared to last year. In the U.K., improvements from cost reduction strategies, including the closure of a bakery in the first quarter, were offset by lower volumes and costs of commissioning new croissant capacity.

Other Matters

On October 30, 2012, the Company declared a dividend of $0.04 per share payable December 31, 2012 to shareholders of record at the close of business on December 7, 2012. Unless indicated otherwise by the Company in writing on or before the time the dividend is paid, the dividend will be considered an Eligible Dividend for the purposes of the "Enhanced Dividend Tax Credit System".

An investor presentation related to the Company's third quarter financial results is available at www.mapleleaffoods.com and can be found under Investor Relations on the Quarterly Results page. A conference call will be held at 2:30 p.m. EDT on October 31, 2012 to review Maple Leaf Foods' third quarter financial results. To participate in the call, please dial 416-340-8018 or 866-223-7781. For those unable to participate, playback will be made available an hour after the event at 905-694-9451 / 800-408-3053 (Passcode 9670637).

A webcast presentation of the third quarter financial results will also be available at http://www.media-server.com/m/p/joy9ce24

The Company's full financial statements and related Management's Discussion and Analysis are available for download on the Company's website.

Reconciliation of Non-IFRS Financial Measures

The Company uses the following non-IFRS measures: Adjusted Operating Earnings and Adjusted EPS. Management believes that these non-IFRS measures provide useful information to both Management and investors in measuring the financial performance of the Company for the reasons outlined below. These measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and therefore they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other publicly traded companies and should not be construed as an alternative to other financial measures determined in accordance with IFRS.

Adjusted Operating Earnings

The following tables reconcile earnings from operations before restructuring and other related costs and associated gains, other income (expense) and the impact of the change in fair value of non-designated interest rate swaps, unrealized (gains) losses on commodity futures contracts and the change in fair value of biological assets to net earnings as reported under IFRS in the unaudited earnings for the three and nine months ended, as indicated below. Management believes that this basis is the most appropriate on which to evaluate operating results, as restructuring and other related costs, other income (expense) and the change in fair value of non-designated interest rate swaps, unrealized (gains) losses on commodity futures contracts and the change in fair value of biological assets are not representative of operational results during the period.

Adjusted Earnings per Share

The following table reconciles Adjusted Earnings per Share to basic earnings per share as reported under IFRS as indicated below. Management believes this basis is the most appropriate on which to evaluate financial results as restructuring and other related costs and associated gains, the changes in the fair value of non-designated interest rate swaps, hedge ineffectiveness recognized in earnings, unrealized (gains) losses on commodity futures contracts and the change in fair value of biological assets net of tax and non-controlling interests are not representative of operational results.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document contains, and the Company's oral and written public communications often contain, "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industries in which the Company operates and beliefs and assumptions made by the Management of the Company. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to objectives and goals, as well as statements with respect to beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates and intentions. Specific forward-looking information in this document includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the anticipated benefits, timing, actions, costs and investments associated with the Company's Value Creation Plan, expectations regarding improving business trends, expectations regarding actions to reduce costs, restore and/or promote volumes and/or increase prices, improve efficiencies, expected duplicative overhead costs incurred due to the concurrent operation of the new Hamilton fresh bakery and existing bakeries, the expected use of cash balances, source of funds for ongoing business requirements, capital investments and debt repayment, and expectations regarding sufficiency of the allowance for uncollectible accounts. Words such as "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "attempt", "may", "will", "plan", "believe", "seek", "estimate", and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking information. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions and risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict.

In addition, these statements and expectations concerning the performance of the Company's business in general are based on a number of factors and assumptions including, but not limited to: the condition of the Canadian, U.S., U.K. and Japanese economies; the rate of exchange of the Canadian dollar to the U.S. dollar, U.K. British pound and the Japanese yen; the availability and prices of raw materials, energy and supplies; product pricing; the availability of insurance; the competitive environment and related market conditions; improvement of operating efficiencies whether as a result of the Value Creation Plan or otherwise; continued access to capital; the cost of compliance with environmental and health standards; no adverse results from ongoing litigation; no unexpected actions of domestic and foreign governments; and the general assumption that none of the risks identified below or elsewhere in this document will materialize. All of these assumptions have been derived from information currently available to the Company including information obtained by the Company from third-party sources. These assumptions may prove to be incorrect in whole or in part. In addition, actual results may differ materially from those expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking information, which reflect the Company's expectations only as of the date hereof.

Factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from the results expressed, implied or forecasted by forward-looking information is discussed more fully in the Company's Annual Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended December 31, 2011 including the section entitled "Risk Factors", that are updated each quarter in the Management's Discussion and Analysis, and are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The Company does not intend to, and the Company disclaims any obligation to, update any forward-looking information, whether written or oral, or whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. ("Maple Leaf" or the "Company") is a leading Canadian value-added meat, meals and bakery company committed to delivering quality food products to consumers around the world. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the Company employs approximately 19,500 people at its operations across Canada and in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Condensed Consolidated Interim Financial Statements
(Expressed in Canadian dollars)
(Unaudited)

MAPLE LEAF FOODS INC.

Three and nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Earnings

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Total Equity

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Segmented Financial Info