Maple Leaf Foods buys Canada Bread Shares

Canada, Maple Leaf Foods has announced that it purchased 66,900 common shares of Canada Bread Company, Limited. The shares together with 490,400 shares purchased on November 17, 2004 represent about 2.2% of Canada Bread`s outstanding shares. All of the shares were purchased on the TSX, at an average price of $38.80. Maple Leaf Foods now owns 22,078,415 common shares representing approximately 86.9% of the outstanding common shares of Canada Bread. The shares were purchased for investment purposes. "The purchase demonstrates Maple Leaf Foods` long-term commitment to the bakery business." said Lynda Kuhn, Vice President Public & Investor Relations of Maple Leaf Foods. Maple Leaf Foods may or may not purchase additional shares of Canada Bread in the future, depending on market conditions. 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 approximately 23,000 people at its operations across Canada and in the United States, Europe and Asia.