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Ahold Delhaize USA to build new meat packaging plant
Rhode Island facility to process items for meal solutions
Russell Redman
October 15, 2018
2 Min Read
Ahold Delhaize USA’s Retail Business Services (RBS) arm has broken ground on a fresh protein packaging facility in North Kingstown, R.I.
The 200,000-square-foot packaging plant, operated by RBS subsidiary Infinity Meat Solutions, will handle beef, ground beef, pork and prepared meat for meal items, such as marinated and stuffed meat.
Plans call for the Infinity Meat Solutions facility to initially serve Ahold Delhaize USA’s Peapod online grocery service and Stop & Shop supermarket chain in the Northeast, a spokeswoman for Salisbury, N.C.-based RBS said. That may be expanded to include other Ahold Delhaize retail banners in the future, she added.
The plant will have the capacity to serve 500 or more stores, according to the spokeswoman.
“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,” RBS President Roger Wheeler said in a statement. “With this facility, we're excited to enhance supply chain operations, as well as create hundreds of new jobs in Rhode Island."
RBS expects the facility to be up and running in the first half of 2020. For the $100 million project, the company has enlisted meat supplier and processor Cargill Protein to consult on the plant’s construction and manage its operations and workforce. The facility, to be located in North Kingstown’s Quonset Business Park, will create over 700 food manufacturing, supply chain and distribution jobs in Rhode Island.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Retail Business Services on this facility,” said Tom Windish, retail channel president for Wichita, Kan.-based Cargill Protein. “This new facility will deliver great-tasting, creative new meal options to grocers across the region.”
RBS already operates a similar but slightly smaller facility in Camp Hill, Pa., the spokeswoman said.
Besides Stop & Shop and Peapod, RBS serves Ahold Delhaize USA’s Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Food Lion and Hannaford supermarket chains on the East Coast.
