Tyson Foods has announced that it will enhance its fully cooked poultry capacity by constructing new production facilities in China and Thailand, as well as expand its facility in the Netherlands.

The initiative is part of Tyson Foods’ global growth strategy, which aims to position the company as the leader in the protein industry.

Tyson Foods president and CEO Dean Banks said: “Global population and income growth will continue to drive an increased need for protein.

“These investments allow us to increase our in-country operations and global export capabilities, helping us bring more safe, high-quality protein for consumers in these countries as well as for customers in other parts of the world.”

once completed, the new and the expanded facilities will increase the company’s poultry capacity by more than 100,000mt, as well as create direct and indirect jobs.

The new facility in China is expected to create more than 700 jobs while the expansion of the Netherlands anticipates over 150 news jobs.

A part of the company’s longstanding joint venture (JV) with GFPT Public Company,  the new production facility in Thailand is expected to create more than 1,000 employment opportunities.

Tyson Foods International president Chris Langholz said: “We have been aggressively building our overseas presence servicing foodservice and expanding into retail with innovative products.

“Our team recently launched the Tyson brand into key markets including in European foodservice and in Thailand retail through e-commerce.

“We invested in e-commerce platforms in Malaysia and Australia to meet consumer demand as Covid-19 accelerates e-commerce food delivery across the globe. The marketplace is changing, and we’re changing with it. We’ll continue to enhance our ability to serve growing global demand for value-added protein.”

With recent acquisitions and joint ventures (JV) in Europe, South America and Asia-Pacific regions, Tyson Foods is said to have expanded its international footprint.

Last December, Tyson Foods’ beef and pork subsidiary Tyson Fresh Meats unveiled its plans to build a beef processing plant in the Republic of Kazakhstan.