Three Irish food companies are set to create a combined 134 jobs over the next three years.
Premium cooked meats producers Green Farm Foods and O’Brien Food Foods, as well as frozen ready meal manufacturer Swift Fine Foods, are spending EUR9m (US$12.1m) on expansion.
Westmeath-based Green Farm Foods is investing EUR2.8m at its facility over the next three years, supported by Enterprise Ireland the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. The investment is expected to create around 30 jobs.
Kildare-based O’Brien Fine Foods, which specialises in premium cooked hams, sausages, rashers and puddings, will create 51 new jobs as part of a EUR3m investment, also backed by DJEI.
Swift Fine Foods, located in Monaghan, produces premium quality chilled and frozen ready meals for the retail trade and foodservice markets, and will create 53 jobs through a further EUR3m investment.
The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Richard Bruton, said: “Here are three Irish businesses, operating in locations across the country, expanding into export markets and creating large numbers of new jobs, a model of what we are trying to achieve with our plan.”
The investments follow an event held by Ireland’s Bord Bia in Dublin last week, aimed at discussing the development of sustainable food practices, but also analysing the actions that need to be taken in order for the industry to grow but in a sustainable way.
