Tyson Expands DC, Improves Animal Welfare
Tyson Foods, based in Springdale, Ark., is investing $59 million to expand its distribution center in Macon, Ga., a move will add jobs, improve efficiency and support the company’s plans for growth.
The project will begin this summer and add 152,000 square feet to the current facility, which serves retail and foodservice customers in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
“This expansion will allow us to ship our complete portfolio of protein-packed brands to customers from one distribution center, while also improving team member safety and reducing our carbon footprint. It’s great news for our customers, our community, our team members and our environment,” said Gregg Uecker, SVP of network planning and integration.
In other news, Tyson also launched a new, broad animal well-being initiative that combines the latest technology with high-touch monitoring and training to improve the care of chickens.
The company says it has implemented the U.S. meat industry’s most extensive third-party remote video auditing (RVA) system, is fielding the world’s largest team of animal well-being specialists and is introducing a pilot project for controlled atmosphere stunning (CAS) at two of its poultry facilities this year.
“Ensuring the well-being of the animals in our care is a core part of our broader sustainability journey and these initiatives are the latest examples of our leadership in this important area,” said Justin Whitmore, chief sustainability officer for Tyson Foods.
To help monitor live bird handling, Tyson is using Arrowsight to cover 33 poultry plants. Video from cameras in the plants is analyzed by trained off-site auditors and data feedback is provided daily, weekly and monthly to plant management to deliver excellence in animal welfare practices.
The innovative RVA pilot project will assess on-farm catching of birds for transport to processing facilities, and Arrowsight will also audit and analyze video for adherence to humane treatment of animals.
Tyson also is the first in the industry to employ animal well-being specialist across its beef, pork and poultry operations. The 60 trained, full-time animal well-being specialists are located at every processing facility that handles live animals. The company also is launching two pilot programs next year. One will test a process called controlled atmosphere stunning, which uses gas as a more humane way to render the poultry unconscious before processing. The other pilot program is researching chicken house lighting and enrichments for the birds.