CJ CheilJedang celebrates opening of Iowa lysine plant

Food manufacturer CJ CheilJedang said yesterday that it has begun operating its lysine manufacturing facility in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in which it invested $300 million in 2012 as part of its biotech business.

The opening ceremony for the factory yesterday was attended by CJ Group Chairman Sohn Kyung-shik, CJ CheilJedang President Kim Chul-ha and Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

The company’s business involving lysine, an amino acid used in animal feed, started in 1991 when it built a facility in Indonesia with an annual capacity of 10,000 tons.

The new 100,000 ton facility in Iowa is expected to enhance CJ CheilJedang’s competitiveness in the industry, which in the United States has been dominated by ADM, Japan’s Ajinomoto and Germany’s Evonik.