Officials Break Ground on Ahold Delhaize Meat Facility

Construction is set to begin on a “state-of-the-art” protein processing facility in North Kingstown, R.I., that officials said would provide Ahold Delhaize-owned stores with beef, ground beef pork and creative prepared meats for meal solutions, such as marinated and stuffed meat.

The 200,000-square-foot facility is being built by Infinity Meal Solutions, a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize’s central services arm, Retail Business Services, and will be managed by Cargill Protein. Ahold Delhaize brands include Stop & Shop, Giant, Hannaford, Food Lion and Peapod.

“At Retail Business Services, we're always seeking innovative solutions that enable the local brands of Ahold Delhaize USA to provide fresh, quality products to their customers,” said Roger Wheeler, president of Retail Business Services. “With this facility, we're excited to enhance supply chain operations, as well as create hundreds of new jobs in Rhode Island. We appreciate the strong partnership with so many on this facility, especially the State of Rhode Island. We look forward to the completing the project and opening our doors in the first half of 2020."

The new facility represents a $100 million investment that will result in 700 jobs, officials said. It will add nearly $60 million of activity to Rhode Island's economy each year and generate more than $10 million in additional state revenue over the next 10 years.

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Infinity was authorized to receive Qualified Jobs incentives of up to $948,000 each year for up to 10 years beginning when the company reaches certain hiring benchmarks and employees are paying Rhode Island income taxes. In addition, the company is eligible for $1.9 million in Rebuild RI tax credits to support the construction of its new facility and a sales tax rebate on construction materials purchased in Rhode Island.

“We are very pleased for Infinity Meat Solutions to break ground on this exciting facility, which will soon host more than 700 new Rhode Island workers,” Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Stefan Pryor said. “Infinity Meat Solutions had many options for where to build, but we are proud they have selected Rhode Island, joining more than 25 other companies that are landing or expanding here. We congratulate all involved and look forward to Infinity Meat Solutions’ success in our state.”