BELGIUM – Kellogg, an American multinational food manufacturing company, has announced a €30 million (about US$36 million) investment in its Pringles plant in Mechelen, Belgium, to boost sustainability and throughput.

The facility – which is one of two Pringles plants in Europe – ships cans of the brand’s potato chips to more than 40 countries across the continent, North Africa and the Middle East.

Kellogg says that the US$36million investment will be used to upgrade production lines with a new fryer to increase throughput.

Additionally, the company plans to install a new utility system at the plant that aims to make it more sustainable.

With the new system, Kellogg says it will generate steam via natural gas consumption and by using the air that comes out of the fryer, a more efficient process than what it currently uses today.

The first phase of the project starts at the end of this year, with a second phase beginning in 2023.

Tyson Foods ramps up pre-packaged meat capacity

Meanwhile, in the U.S., Tyson Foods has announced plans to expand its case-ready meats production capacity by converting an idle facility in Columbia, South Carolina.

The company says it will initially invest approximately US$42 million to transform the facility into a meat portioning and packaging operation.

Procurement of production equipment and further improvements will be made at the facility over the next three to five, reaching a total estimated investment of $55 million.

The meat-cutting facility will produce portioned packages of sliced, fresh beef and pork, as well as ground beef.

According to Tyson’s the repurpose is part of its strategy to increase the production of its consumer ready products.

Last year, the company invested US$27 million to upgrade its prepared foods production site in Illinois.

The South Carolina plant is expected to begin production in May 2021 and will employ 330 people, more than double the number of employees who worked at the facility when it closed in August 2020.

Tyson Foods also has plans to open a new case ready meat production facility in Utah later to add on it existing plants in Iowa, Tennessee and Texas.

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