CAMP HILL, Pa. – Vantage Foods Inc., Calgary, Alberta, announced that a fresh meat packaging facility is under construction in Camp Hill. The plant will process retail-ready fresh meat for the Giant Carlisle and Giant Landover divisions of Ahold USA.

The Camp Hill Service Center will cover 162,000 sq. ft. and is scheduled to open in late fall 2013. Value-added products, fresh beef and pork, including regular cuts and ground meat, are some of the items that will be produced and distributed from the new facility, according to Leonal Kilgore, president and chief operating officer Vantage US.

“Central Pennsylvania is an ideal location for our newest US facility,” Kilgore said. “The Lower Allen Township, Camp Hill community is well resourced with strategic access to major distribution arteries and a vital local labor force.

“It is our full intention to earn our place as a good corporate citizen in the community and to generate strong economic spin off for the community and surrounding area,” Kilgore added. “Local residents may be assured that Vantage Service Centers comply with all government environmental standards and because operations are internal and live animals are not processed at our facilities, there is no odor impact.”

Ahold USA is one of the top 10 retailers in the US with more than $25 billion in sales, according to the company. Ahold USA supports four regional divisions which operate more than 750 supermarkets employing 115,000 people across 14 states. Ahold USA also operates Peapod, an online grocery shopping and delivery service.

Vantage Foods currently operates three service centers across Canada. The Camp Hill Service Center will be the second facility in the US.

“We are pleased to continue our strategic corporate growth with the addition of a fifth Service Center under management by Vantage Foods,” said Gary Haley, president and CEO Vantage Foods Inc. “Our corporate purpose to help our retail partners achieve superior meat department performance and aligning with Ahold USA, an exceptional food retail market leader, is very exciting.”