Food Firm Opens New $63M Processing Plant in AlabamaFood Firm Opens New $63M Processing Plant in Alabama

Californian firm Golden State Foods marked the opening of a new fresh beef processing plant in Opelika, AL that will provide meat to fast food chain McDonald’s with a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday. 

“The opening of our new protein plant is a true milestone in GSF’s history,” Dr. Wayne Morgan, corporate vice president and president of protein products at Golden State Foods, said in a company press release. “The careful planning and design of this new building is centered on people, safety, sustainability, technology, and innovation, and it continues our commitment to creating high-quality beef products for our valued customers.”

Featuring six frozen and five fresh hamburger patty lines, the 165,000-sq-ft plant can process 170 million lbs of protein products annually. The Birmingham Business Journal reported that Golden State Foods invested $63 million in the project. 

Products manufactured at the plant will be used in 2900 McDonald’s restaurants in the southeast U.S., according to the company, and four Nestle manufacturing plants will also source their beef from the Alabama plant.

“Golden State Foods began providing meat products to McDonald’s in the early 1950s, and it’s a true testament to our partnership that we’re here today, celebrating this new processing facility that provides us with both frozen and fresh beef, with fresh beef being a significant and positive change to our system,” said Ray Vargocko, McDonald’s director of strategic sourcing, U.S. supply chain, in a statement. 

In March of this year, the iconic American fast food chain announced that all of its restaurants in the U.S. would soon use fresh beef for all Quarter Pounder and Signature Crafted Recipe hamburgers.   

Based in Irvine, CA, Golden State Foods is a manufacturer and distributor of meat, dairy, produce, liquids, and other food products.

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