Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream has begun expanding its manufacturing plant in Howard County, Md. The enlarged Dreyer’s facility will be among the largest ice cream plants in the world, employing hundreds of new workers from Howard County and the surrounding region, the company says. Groundbreaking took place this month.

Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell Creameries has expanded its market in the Carolinas with new distribution of its ice cream in Greenville-Spartanburg, Columbia and Florence, S.C., as well as a dozen cities in North Carolina. Blue Bell ice cream was previously only available in the Anderson, S.C., area.  

Chelsea, Mass.-based HP Hood is considering consolidating its ice cream production at a Suffield, Conn., facility with a recently acquired plant in Lancaster, Pa. The Suffield facility has about 200 employees; most are expected to be let go if the plan is implemented. Hood also produces ultra-pasteurized milk products in Suffield and recently invested $6 million in upgrades to that area of the plant, which will remain open. The Lancaster facility is part of Binghamton, N.Y.-based Crowley Foods, acquired by Hood earlier this year.

Kosher cheese company Primo Foods, Ogdensburg, N.Y., has announced plans to add American and Italian cheese production capability and make various repairs to bring its facility up to health and safety codes. The company expects to expand its employee base from the current 50 to about 200 by 2006.

Modesto, Calif.-based Fiscalini Cheese Co., has forged a broad-ranging agreement with European Imports. The broker will handle sales exclusively in the Chicago area and the Midwest as well as in Arizona, Florida and Texas. The company says it is delighted to be working with well-respected European Imports and is confident the broker will help to significantly boost distribution in key areas.

Horizon Organic, Longmont, Colo., will replace the electrical power used in its operations with sustainable wind energy, and use wind power exclusively for its supply chain. This move joins Horizon Organic with White Wave, one of its sister brands since consolidation under its parent company, Dallas-based Dean Foods Co.

Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) has announced an agreement with the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) to provide $1.9 million in funding to extend CMAB’s existing dairy research activities in the areas of probiotics, genomics and the animal health issues affecting consumer confidence in dairy foods.

Dean Foods Co., Dallas, has announced it’s making a bid for Foremost Dairies-Hawaii, which closed in October. Dean is the parent company of the only remaining dairy operation in the Aloha State, Meadow Gold Dairies. The Foremost business, processing equipment, fleet and brand name are for sale.

Arden Hills, Minn.-based Land O’Lakes Inc. has reported $1.8 billion in sales for its third quarter 2004, a gain of about 11 percent as compared to $1.6 billion in sales for the same period last year. The quarter tallied a net loss of $29.9 million, compared to the net loss of $1.6 million in 2003.

Parmalat USA Corp. has devised a reorganization plan that is centered on the Farmland Dairies LLC unit, which operates in New York and New Jersey. The company’s Milk Products of Alabama unit was previously sold to Dallas-based Dean Foods Co. for $21.6 million as part of the company’s bankruptcy emergence plan.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is enforcing the registration provision for domestic food facilities under the 2002 Bioterrorism Act as appropriate in each situation, the agency stated in mid-November. The FDA said it may also consider the failure to register as an additional charge in an enforcement action that is based on other statutory violations.