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Tyson Foods has officially opened its new $355 million food production facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky, US. The site – which was first reported by FoodBev in 2021 – was built to support Tyson’s expansion of its bacon production capabilities. It will create nearly 450 new jobs in southcentral Kentucky. Tyson expects the 400,000-square-foot plant to produce 2 million pounds of “premium quality” Jimmy Dean andbacon retail products and bacon used in foodservice, per week. The meat giant says that the new facility represents a significant opportunity for it to innovate with new bacon flavours, cuts and products, such as fully cooked bacon. Donnie King, president and CEO of Tyson Foods, said: “Our innovative new plant in Bowling Green reflects a major investment that we are proud to make in southcentral Kentucky. This enables us to focus on the health and safety of our team members while also delivering best in class service for our customers.” Melanie Boulden, group president of prepared foods and chief growth officer at Tyson, commented: “Bacon is a growing category based on consumer demand, both at home and at restaurants, and our expanded production will enable us to lead this growth and drive innovation".

Tyson Foods selected Bowling Green as the plant’s location due to its proximity to raw materials in its pork supply chain, as well as it being close to inbound and outbound transportation lanes. In a statement, the company said that the site’s location “also enables end-to-end profitability by utilising pork bellies provided primarily by Tyson Foods’ pork segment”. The plant was designed for efficiency, it combines high-tech robots that help eliminate tasks such as transporting large pork bellies along multiple production lines, packing and stacking boxes, and safely moving product through production zones, with driverless forklifts and autonomous guide vehicles. Tyson has partnered with Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College to offer technical training, including a robotics lab, to help its employees improve their skills.