April 28, 2010

US chicken processor to expand plant capacity

Allen Family Foods Inc. plans to boost the capacity of its plant in Harbeson, Delaware by 20%, to 1.2 million chickens a week, the company said.

The expansion, which will add about 70 new jobs at the facility, is "part of the company's strategic business plan to continue with the stable supply of tray pack products," the news release said, "and we are in the planning stages for additional production increases for 2011/2012." The future expansion plans could add as many as 200 more jobs to the facility.

"We are proud of our business growth, and look forward to expanding our operations further," Bob Turley, Allen's CEO, said in the release.

Last month, Allen Family Foods was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for a variety of workplace safety hazards at the Harbeson poultry plant.