Kettle Foods opened its 73,000-sq.-ft. Beloit, WI potato chip plant, which has obtained LEED Gold Certification from the US Green Building Council. The plant has 18 wind turbines on the factory’s roof, converts used cooking oil into biodiesel, filters and reuses 1.65 million gallons of potato wash water per year and offsets 100% of its electrical usage with renewable wind power.



Robertet Flavors broke ground on a 60,000-sq.-ft. expansion of it US flavors facility in Piscataway, NJ.



McCain Foods has announced its intent to invest approximately $151 million for the construction of a new plant in the Pacific Northwest. The facility will produce French fries and potato specialties for food service and quick service restaurants. Construction is expected to begin in the spring, and startup is planned for late summer of 2009.



Purina will expand its Flagstaff, AZ plant to increase production by 20% and add 91,000 sq.ft. of warehouse space. The expansion is expected to be complete in early 2009.