ConAgra plans to expand its Waterloo facility to include David snack seed production.

WATERLOO, IOWA — ConAgra Foods has unveiled plans to invest $50 million to expand its facility in Waterloo to include David snack seed production. ConAgra currently makes consumer snacks marketed under the Snack Pack and Swiss Miss brand names at the plant.

“Waterloo is a great fit for ConAgra Foods and our new snack seeds facility,” said Mike Tracy, senior vice-president of supply chain for ConAgra. “Waterloo has an excellent workforce, and the location will allow us to meet our current and future business needs. Selecting Waterloo, pending approval of state and local assistance, for this work was made possible through great partnerships between ConAgra Foods and local officials, and we look forward to having a continued presence in Waterloo.”

The proposed expansion project will include new construction of processing, packaging, warehouse and administrative areas to accommodate the new product.  ConAgra said the expansion is expected to increase the plant production by 30%, adding approximately 99,000 square feet to the existing facility. The company said the new production line will create “a highly automated, state-of-the-art manufacturing platform designed to offer more flexibility in packaging options as business needs change.”

Pending approval of incentives, ground-breaking for the project is expected to take place in mid-June. The new operation could begin production by late 2016.