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FOSTER FARMS EXPANDS PORTERVILLE, CALIF. PLANT TO MEET CONSUMER DEMAND Growth brings new jobs and boosts production of high quality, delicious cooked chicken products

4/13/2005
Foster Farms, family owned and operated since 1939, today announces the expansion of its Porterville, Calif., facility. The expansion will increase the capability of the plant by 80 percent, allowing for increased production of Foster Farms’ premium, fully-cooked chicken products – products that are favored for their quality, taste and convenience by West Coast consumers, according to Ted Maisch, Manager of Cooked Chicken.

“Consumers trust the quality and prefer the taste of Foster Farms cooked chicken products, which has led to a rapid increase in demand for our Porterville plant’s ready-to-eat products. This expansion will allow us to continue to supply wholesome, delicious, convenient poultry products while increasing job opportunities in the Porterville community.”

The new production line will accommodate the processing of more than 12,000 pounds of food products per hour. The expansion will increase the plant employment by 90 positions, bringing the total number of employees to over 400. Hiring will occur in the areas of supervision, leads, machine operators, maintenance, quality assurance, sanitation, shipping and receiving, and general labor.

The Porterville plant was opened in 1999 and is dedicated to producing a wide variety of delicious, fully-cooked chicken products for Foster Farms. The facility currently produces more than 1,000,000 pounds per week of fully-cooked wings, breaded tenders, breaded patties, breaded nuggets, grilled breast strips, pizza toppings and mini corndogs for Foster Farms’ retail, food service and chain account customers.

For more information on employment at the Porterville plant, please inquire with CSET, Proteus or visit the Foster Farms web site at www.fosterfarmsandnewmansown.net.

Family-owned Foster Farms, based in Livingston, Calif., is the leading poultry producer in the Western United States. Based in Livingston, Calif., the company has remained a family-owned business since its founding in 1939. Foster Farms branded fresh chicken is always locally grown on farms it owns or operates in each of its markets (California, Oregon and Washington). Foster Farms specializes in producing high quality fresh chicken products that are all natural with no preservatives or sodium-based additives, in addition to a full line of other delicious poultry products. The company produces and delivers premium quality poultry products to retailers, warehouse clubs and foodservice customers throughout the West.
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