More than $800,000 in bonuses awarded under Signature™ Pork program

St. Marys, Ontario
– Maple Leaf Foods is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s Signature™
Pork Awards, presented last night at the Company’s annual barbecue in St.
Marys, Ontario. The celebration also honoured 187 Signature™ Plus
producers with more than $800,000 in bonus cheques.

Signature ™ Pork is a key component of
Maple Leaf’s system of vertical coordination for modern pork production. The Signature™
Pork program establishes partnerships among producers, Maple Leaf Pork and
Shur-Gain to build value across the entire pork value chain, enhancing quality
and efficiency and delivering value-added products to consumers. Since the
launch of the program in 1996, Maple Leaf has awarded more than $3 million in
bonuses.

“Signature™ Pork producers supply Maple
Leaf with top quality hogs,” said Michael H. McCain, president and CEO, Maple
Leaf Foods. “It’s because of these producer partnerships, our coordinated
system and the investments we have made in product innovation, research and
technology, that consumers continue to trust Maple Leaf to deliver the highest
quality products.”

 

This year, two new awards were presented to producers. The “Best
Tattoo” and “Healthy Hog” awards were introduced, reflecting Maple Leaf’s focus
on traceability and providing safe and quality products to its customers.
Signature ™ 2002 Awards and Recipients   Healthy Hog Award
(lowest percentage of condemned hogs at the plant)

Winner:                       
Harry Van Roessel

 

Runner
Up:                  
Franz Arnold

Best Tattoo Award (highest percentage of perfect tattoo)   

Winner
(tied):              
Jim Debrouwer, Troy Valley Farms

Winner
(tied):              
Dave and Gerard Vandewalle

Most Meat Award (highest lean meat
percentage)

Winner:                       
Philip Anwender

Runner
Up:                  
Poppe Farms Ltd.
 

Right Weight Award (percentage of hogs
within 85 to 95 kg weight range) Winner:                       
Kees Rijnen

 

Runner
Up:                  
Matt Rijnen
 

Largest Loin Award (mm)

Winner:                       
Jay Shackelton

Runner
Up:                  
Harold Good
Highest Index Award (percentage on grid

Winner:
                      
George Wienecke, Wienecke Farms

Runner
Up:                  
Ted and Darlene Koot

Shur-Gain is Canada’s leading feed company with
16 feed mills in Eastern Canada and the U.S.A. and a strong dealer franchise
system serving livestock producers. For more than 60 years, Shur-Gain has
supported its feed products through active research and development in the
areas of nutrition, health and feed quality.

 

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a leading Canadian food
processing company committed to delivering quality food products to consumers
around the world. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the Company employs more
than 14,000 people at its operations across Canada and in the United States,
Europe and Asia.  Maple Leaf Foods had sales of $4.7 billion in 2001.