COLUMBUS — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing more than $9.5 million to expand an independent meat and poultry processing capacity in Ohio, USDA Rural Development Ohio state director Jonathan McCracken announced Jan. 9.
International Food Solutions Inc. is receiving a $9.5 million Meat and Poultry Expansion Program grant to help redevelop and expand a vacant building in Cleveland into a plant with the capacity to process 60 million pounds of poultry. The expansion will include cold and dry storage and two processing lines.
Funding is also expected to create 227 good-paying jobs in Ohio. IFS will sell the majority of its product for school meals under the National School Lunch Program. International Food Solutions is a woman- and minority-owned business that has produced thousands of prepared meals for K-12 students receiving free and reduced-price school meals.
The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program provides grants to help eligible processors expand their capacity. This project is part of $12 million in funding USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced during the American Farm Bureau Convention. Projects funded in Michigan and Minnesota were also announced.
