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USDA Invests $9.5 Million in Ohio Business to Expand Poultry Processing for National School Lunch Program

Name
Heather Stacy
City
Columbus
Release Date

Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 9, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Ohio State Director Jonathan McCracken announced today that USDA is investing more than $9.5 million to expand an independent meat and poultry processing capacity in Ohio.

“Today’s announcement is good news for consumers, producers, and the City of Cleveland,” said McCracken. "This grant will create new jobs in Cleveland, increase domestic poultry processing, and allow International Food Solutions to expand its role in the National School Lunch Program.”

International Food Solutions Inc. is receiving a $9,575,250 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 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. USDA Rural Development designed the MPPEP to encourage competition and sustainable growth in the U.S. meat processing sector, and to help improve supply chain resilience.

This project is part of a larger USDA announcement linked here.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices. To learn more, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/oh