Smithfield Packing Co. opened a new $100 million plant in Kinston, NC, that created 300 new jobs. The plant, which is the company’s second in Kinston and its seventh in North Carolina, will produce 90 million pounds of pork products annually, including deli ham and sliced lunch meat.



Horizon Milling G.P., a newly formed partnership of Cargill and CHS, began operating its three milling facilities in Montreal, Quebec; Port Colborne, Ontario; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; and three dry baking mixing sites in Montreal, Saskatoon, and Burlington, Ontario.



Gruma, S.A. de C.V. opened its first plant in Asia. Located in Shanghai, China, this is the company’s 89th facility in the world.  The facility will produce 15,000 tons of wheat tortillas, 7,000 tons of corn tortillas and 6,000 tons of snacks.  The $100 million investment will supply the continental China market, but will progressively widen its range to the Middle East.



FAGE plans to increase capacity of the plant that is currently being constructed in Johnstown Industrial Park, near New York City. Following the expansion, it will have an annual production capacity of 18,000 tons of strained yogurt and 60 million liters of milk.  The 120,000-sq.-ft. building will include fully automated production lines and a robotized warehouse. The new plant will employ up to 70 people and will constitute a $70 million investment instead of the previous estimate of $45 million.



American Dairy plans to expand its processing, packaging and distribution facilities in Gannan County, China. By 2009, the company expects the processing plant to increase its total processing capacity to over 1,700 tons of liquid milk per day. Currently, it processes 720 tons.