Dive Brief:
- Perdue Foods, a subsidiary of Perdue Farms, has announced a $10.9 million investment for the expansion of its Rockingham, NC, plant.
- Included in the expansion are the addition of a ground chicken production line and about 30 new employees hired over the next three years.
- The expansion is part of a performance-based grant from One North Carolina Fund, which offers companies money to create jobs and encourage economic investment in the local community.
Dive Insight:
Perdue Farms made a major chicken-related announcement last July when the company said that it was no longer using human or animal antibiotics in more than half of its raised chickens, along with its corresponding transparency campaign, Perdue No Antibiotics Ever. Perdue has been a leader in the antibiotics-removal movement. Other companies, such as Tyson Foods and Pilgrim's Pride, have also made antibiotics announcements, though they set deadlines over the next few years.
Perdue made another antibiotics commitment in September when the company announced it would acquire the Niman Ranch brand from LNK Partners, which will add to Perdue's portfolio of antibiotic-free meat products and cage-free eggs.
Last month, Perdue Farms discontinued its relationship with contract growers Deese Farms and Hideaway Farms due to an employee's conviction on misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.