Smithfield Foods has completed its purchase of a premier dry sausage production facility in Nashville, Tennessee, from Cargill. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Smithfield is poised to continue to expand its packaged meats business in the rapidly growing dry sausage category.

The transaction fuels Smithfield's strategy of continued growth in the value-added packaged meats segment, adding dry sausage production capacity of 50 million pounds per year. Production from the Nashville facility will support Smithfield's existing portfolio of dry sausage brands including Margherita, Carando and Armour.

"With the added capacity from this facility, Smithfield is poised to continue to expand our packaged meats business in the rapidly growing dry sausage category," said Steve France, president of packaged meats for Smithfield Foods. "We are pleased to welcome the employees at Nashville to the Smithfield team and look forward to continuing to serve the facility's existing customers."

Smithfield has made formal offers of employment to all employees at the Nashville facility for the same positions they previously held, with a benefits package that includes comprehensive medical coverage, a free-tuition program and other benefits.