CHEROKEE, Iowa – Iowa Food Group (IFG) suspended operations at a former Tyson Foods Inc. meat processing plant less than a year after acquiring the facility.

In a statement, the company said, “…IFG will be pausing production temporarily in order to recapitalize the company in preparation for the next stage of operations and growth.”

Tyson closed the plant in September 2014, and 450 jobs were eliminated. The plant manufactured deli meats, hams, Canadian bacon and hot dogs. IFG acquired the facility in September 2018 and proposed processing beef, pork, lamb and other proteins.

“Iowa Food Group is proud to have taken the Cherokee plant from shut down for four years to completely operational with full USDA approval within 120 days,” the company said. IFG added that the facility passed its Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Food Safety Audit with an A+ score on April 4, 2019.

The company offered no details as to how long the plant would be closed.