Great Lakes Cheese, Hiram, Ohio, plans to invest $100 million in a 330,000-square-foot cheese plant in Manchester, Tenn., according to knoxnews.com. The cheese manufacturing and packaging plant will create more than 200 jobs.

Global dairy and food giant Nestlé, Vevey, Switzerland, said it will achieve zero waste in all of its 150 European factories by 2020. This means that no factory waste will go to landfill or be incinerated without energy being recovered from the process. Nestlé has invested 26 million Swiss francs (about $29.1 million) to extend its ice cream factory in 6th of October City, Egypt (about 18 miles from Cairo). Ice creams produced there are distributed locally and exported to Jordan, Libya, Lebanon and Tunisia. The factory also produces the super-premium Mövenpick products that are exported to Malaysia. Nestlé Egypt has three factories and seven distribution centers, and employs more than 3,000 people.

A new implementation guideline for leveraging GS1 global standards for traceability business processes in the dairy, deli and bakery supply chain was released in October by the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association, the International Dairy Foods Association, and GS1 US.

Fonterra announced its plans to invest $72 million at its Clandeboye, New Zealand, mozzarella plant as it further expands its global foodservice capabilities. It will double the capacity of the plant to produce individual quick frozen grated mozzarella. The upgrade is due to be completed by September 2015.

Dairylea Cooperative Inc.’s board of directors has voted to merge with Dairy Farmers of America. DFA’s Board of Directors has endorsed the merger. Dairylea members will vote during a special meeting in February 2014. 

Ernesto Fajardo is the new president and CEO of Alpina, Sopo, Colombia, succeeding Julian Jaramillo, who retired after nearly 10 years in the role. Alpina Foods, the U.S. arm of Alpina, continues to be led by General Manager Gustavo Badino. The company has a yogurt processing plant in Batavia, N.Y.

Sandy Toney of Masters Gallery Foods Inc., Plymouth, Wis., was selected as the Assistant Chief Judge for the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association’s World Championship Cheese Contest. She is the first woman to hold that title. Toney is Masters Gallery Foods’ vice president of corporate quality and product development.