New plant can pump out 14 million Snickers bars, 39 million M&M's a day

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20140327/MONEY/140328741/1707#new-plant-can-pump-out-14-million-snickers-bars-39-million-m-amp-m-s-a-day

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Americans aren't losing their taste for chocolate. Need proof? Look to Kansas, where candy giant Mars Inc. is operating its first new plant in 35 years to churn out millions of sweets every day.

Company officials had a grand opening Thursday for the sprawling, $270 million chocolate plant — which they say exists mostly to meet U.S. demand for its M&M's and Snickers-brand candy.

The plant, built south of Topeka, will be able to produce 14 million bite-sized Snickers each day, as well as 39 million M&M's, enough to fill 1.5 million fun-sized packs. The company expects the plant to be filling orders for another 50 years.

With the scent of chocolate in the air, dozens of workers in white uniforms and hairnets cheered as Gov. Sam Brownback helped turn a lever that brought the machines to life and signaled the official start of production.

FULL story and photo at link.

[MuseRider]

1. This plant

was built less than 5 miles from me. I hope to god it does not stink up the place. We already have a huge part of this area that smells like bad gas from sick people (enough that some of the businesses close by have employees who get sick from smelling it) because of Frito Lay and their open vats (or whatever) of spoiling potato.

Contrary to popular belief, smelling strong chocolate is not pleasant when you can't smell anything else for hours or days or....forever. I moved to the country to get away from this shit and they are damned determined to use all the land around me now for this kind of thing.

I wish them success as long as they are good citizens and don't make life near them hell like they have elsewhere.

[Omaha Steve]

2. Several (9-10?) years ago the local Frito plant in Council Bluffs, Ia was moved there

I know a mechanic that lost his job there. Iowa was sorry to lose the jobs. Oh well. Small world.

OS

[wercal]

3. The Topeka Frito Lay plant has been around for a long time

Maybe one of the Frito expansions in Topeka was at the expense of Iowa...I don't know.

I worked on this Mars plant, in small ways, over the last 3 years. They made a commitment to staying in the USA, instead of building in Mexico. I think that's great.

[intheflow]

4. So I subscribe to both the labor and gardening groups on DU.

Took me a minute to make sense of this post's title. Was is about GMOs?