Dive Brief:
- Southern Idaho has secured seven major investments by food companies including Chobani, Monsanto, Clif Bar, Frulact Group, Glanbia Foods, McCain Foods, and Calva/Brewster.
- Among the projects are a $450-million yogurt-making plant that will be the world's largest, a $100-million expansion for a potato processing plant, a $30-million fruit processing plant, a $9.2-million Wheat Technology Center, and a $9-million infant formula plant.
- The projects are expected to create 5,000 new direct and indirect jobs in communities including Twin Falls, Rupert, Burley, and Filer.
Dive Insight:
Needless to say, these investments are a huge gain for a state already known for its well-known potato and wheat contributions to the food supply chain — not to mention the amount of food processing facilities that already call it home. All together, the projects total around $773.2 million in investments in the region, which is among several that could soon see its aforementioned agricultural business threatened by impending drought.
