Investment activity in the US food industry is increasing. In September 2026, 65 new projects for the construction, expansion and modernization of production facilities were registered, which is an increase of about 3% compared to August. This is the second consecutive month of growth, reports FoodChain Magazine.
The data is from Industrial SalesLeads, a company that tracks planned capital investments in North America. In August, the number of projects increased by nearly 25% compared to July.
September ranks second in terms of the number of announced projects since the beginning of the year, immediately after March, when 66 were reported.
Companies invest in new capacities and equipment
There is the greatest interest in the modernization of existing enterprises. In September, 37 projects for the renovation of production facilities and equipment, 19 expansion projects and 16 for new construction were reported.
Among the most significant investment intentions is the project of the dairy producer Chobani, which plans to invest $ 1.2 billion in modernization and technological renovation of a plant in Pennsylvania.
The agricultural cooperative CHS plans to invest $ 700 million in a new soybean processing plant in Wisconsin, and the manufacturer of flavors and food ingredients Givaudan plans to build a $ 215 million plant in Indiana.
Schreiber Foods is also preparing a $ 197 million investment in a new production facility in Missouri.
Billion-dollar investments in logistics too
The expansion of production is accompanied by investments in warehouse and logistics infrastructure.
The retail chain Walmart plans to invest $1.3 billion in the construction of a distribution center in the state of Georgia. The project envisages a facility with an area of approximately 139 thousand square meters, and the company is currently seeking the necessary permits.
The supermarket chain Wegmans also plans an investment of $ 110 million in a distribution base with cold storage in New York state.
Among other companies with announced investment intentions are Kraft Heinz, which plans $ 30 million to renew equipment at a plant in Indiana, and Anheuser-Busch with a $ 23 million project in Colorado.
Modernization overtakes new construction
Data shows that food companies increasingly prefer to invest in their existing plants instead of building completely new production facilities.
Such an approach allows for increasing capacity, implementing more modern equipment and improving of production efficiency.
Despite the recovery in the last two months, investment activity remains uneven. In previous periods of the year, significant declines in the number of new projects were also reported.