011008 Foster Farms Completes Acquisition of ZackyOctober 13, 2001Livingston, CA - Foster Farms completed its acquisition of Zacky Farms' chicken operations following final regulatory approval of the deal. The value of the acquisition was undisclosed. Today, Foster Farms formally assumes ownership of Zacky Farms' Fresno area plant, hatchery, feed mill, and 35 live production ranches as well as its Los Angeles distribution center. The deal adds 165 million pounds to Foster Farms' current annual poultry production. Zacky Farms' fully integrated turkey operations and its deli and further processed meat operations remain under the ownership and management of the Zacky family. Foster Farms CEO Paul Carter and President Don Jackson will manage the combined chicken operations. General Manager John Folger will be responsible for all poultry operations in the Fresno Complex, which now includes three plants, two feed mills, two hatcheries and several growout farms. Chicken produced at former Zacky Farms facilities will be transitioned to the Foster Farms brand name and packaging. "The acquisition of Zacky Farms gives Foster Farms the opportunity to broaden its client base and offer existing customers a wider range of products," said Carter. "Consumers can look forward to an even greater supply of fresh, California-grown poultry of the same premium-quality they have come to expect from Foster Farms." This acquisition brings Foster Farms' workforce to 10,600, 3,000 of which are in the Fresno Complex and in Southern California. Fifteen hundred former employees of Zacky Farms' chicken operations have been given positions with Foster Farms. Foster Farms will integrate Zacky Farms' chicken operations into its own. As with its existing operations, Foster Farms will strictly control the entire poultry production process -- from the time the egg is laid to the delivery of the chicken to the grocery store -- to ensure that Foster Farms products are of the highest quality and exceed stringent food safety standards.
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