Tyson Foods has announced the re-opening of its turkey processing plant in Storm Lake, Iowa, after a fire saw it idled for eight months.
The plant, which became part of Tyson in August this year following the Hillshire Brands acquisition, was “severely damaged” in March by a fire that began in the dark meat room.
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“Thankfully, there were no injuries in the fire, but damage to the plant was extensive and portions required major renovations before it could safely operate,” said Ray Team, a spokesperson for the Storm Lake plant.
Speaking to just-food today, a spokesperson from Hillshire said the company worked with numerous turkey processors to handle its volume in the interim.
“This allowed us to continue to supply our brands like Jimmy Dean, Ball Park and Hillshire Farm with turkey for their products.”
Local press has reported the cost of the damage was in the region of US$30m. The Hillshire spokesperson however said no financial figures related to the damage have been released.
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By GlobalDataThe plant is now partially open for business with the white meat turkey processing area up and running. The dark meat operations are expected to resume in January.
