[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 14100-14101]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING KRAFT FOODS

 Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, Kraft Foods has a long history in 
Springfield, MO, and is observing two anniversaries this year. Kraft 
started production of processed cheese in 1939 on the second floor of a 
building on West Mill Street. After 15 years, Kraft made the decision 
to expand and build a ``modern new plant'' on property on the outskirts 
of town off Bennett Street east of Glenstone. This plant is now home to 
more than 800 employees who enjoy good-paying jobs. The 780,000-square-
foot plant turns out hundreds of millions of pounds of product 
annually, including Kraft American Singles, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese in 
boxes and microwaveable cups, and Kraft natural cheeses. The dozens of 
different products made at Kraft Foods-Springfield are distributed 
throughout the South, the Midwest, and the mountain States.
  The current Springfield plant was expanded again in 1976, adding 
219,000 square feet of modernized production space for new lines of 
pasta products; shredded cheese joined the product mix, and a 100,000-
square-foot warehouse was completed in 2000. Kraft-Springfield receives 
raw products by the train car load every day, and a fleet of trucks 
sends the finished products to the marketplace. In 2010, working with 
the city of Springfield, bonds were issued to allow Kraft to expand, 
which included an $18 million pasta press, drying equipment, and a 
natural cheese project. Another $20 million funded new technology for 
Kraft Singles, and a third project funded improvements to the EZ Mac 
cup line.
  Critical to the success of the Kraft-Springfield operation is the 
offsite warehouse in the Springfield Underground. Opened more than 50 
years ago when below-surface storage was untested, offsite space today 
boasts reduced energy costs and performance sustainability. At 36 
degrees Fahrenheit, the Kraft Foods space in the underground stores 
cheeses, Oscar Mayer meats, and Jell-O puddings. Kraft officials 
believe that the facility uses about 65 percent less electricity than a 
comparable surface warehouse. It is another part of the emphasis Kraft 
places on its environmental stewardship. The Kraft facility achieved 
the Ozarks GreenScore Green Level in 2013--the highest level of 
environmental achievement--and the Ozarks GreenScore Gold Level in 
2011.
  Kraft employees and the company also give back to the community 
through product donations, employee time and fundraising to support the 
Ozarks Food Harvest, Boys & Girls Clubs of Springfield, United Way Day 
of Caring, and Park Board Dairy Days, among numerous other 
organizations.
  I remember touring the plant during our Congressional Agriculture 
Tour in 2000 and later at the Underground. It was a remarkable facility 
then and is even more advanced now. The commitment Kraft Foods has made 
to Springfield is reflected in the commitment Springfield has made to 
Kraft. On this 60th anniversary of the plant and Kraft's 75th year in 
Springfield, I hope this unique public-private partnership survives for 
many generations to come.

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