Flowers Foods plans to construct a 200,000-sq.-ft. bakery located in Bardstown, KY.  The bakery will open with one production line in the fall of 2008 and will employ about 100 people.  The facility, which expects to add a second production line later, represents a $52 million investment over the next two years.

Kraft Foods is expanding its 405,000-sq.-ft. operation in Newberry, SC, adding 75,000-sq.ft. of manufacturing space.  The expansion will create a more efficient plant layout as well as accommodate additional manufacturing volume. The facility will add about 600 employees to its existing labor force of 1,700.  The plant produces Oscar Mayer sliced luncheon meats, turkey bacon, deli-shaved meats, Oscar Mayer/Louis Rich chicken breast strips and cuts and ground turkey.

Mars Petcare is building a 250,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Fort Smith, AR, which will employ 200 and produce the company’s line of Cesar Canine Cuisine pet food for small dogs. The $80 million facility will begin production by April 2009.

McLane Company selected Jessup, PA (near Scranton) as the site of its newest regional distribution center.  The 400,000-sq.-ft. distribution center will serve the company’s existing customer base in the mid-Atlantic region. The facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2008.

SYSCO Corp. completed its 353,000-sq.-ft. broadline foodservice distribution center in Knoxville, TN. Located on a 44 acre site in the I-275 Business Park, the new company, Sysco Foodservices of Knoxville, LLC, begins service this month to an existing customer base in four Southern states.