Nestlé Nutrition is to invest US$89.9m in the expansion and revamp of its Gerber Fort Smith plant in the US.

Plans announced today (21 July) involve the construction of an additional cereal manufacturing line to the existing facility, which will begin immediately and is scheduled to be completed by September 2012.

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The expansion aims to create around 50 local jobs and boost further potential for local contractors, the firm said.

Kurt Schmidt, CEO of Nestlé Nutrition North America, said: “Creating shared value is an important principle at Nestlé, and we are proud to continue to support and encourage growth within the Fort Smith community.”

The Fort Smith site produces a range of Gerber products including 1st Foods, 2nd Foods and 3rd Foods purees in plastic and glass containers, Gerber Graduates meat sticks and Gerber infant cereals.

The expansion follows another project earlier this year at the Gerber Life facility, which included the addition of a call centre, which will create around 180 jobs over the next five years.

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