What's Cooking at the New Hormel Plant?

Dubuque welcomes its new Hormel plant today. The Big Lug is on hand, along with other dignitaries.

Maybe you're like me, and you wonder what's going to be rolling off the line.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin answers our question. Your lunch, perhaps:

The plan is run by Progressive Processing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hormel Foods.

In January 2008, Jeffrey Ettinger, Hormel's chief executive officer, president and board chairman, announced the company's plans for the Dubuque facility during Hormel's annual stockholders meeting in Austin. Ettinger said the new plant would help meet the "explosive growth" in demand for its Hormel Compleats microwave meals. Hormel Compleats - a line of shelf-stable, single-serving products offered in numerous varieties - experienced a 40 percent increase in growth during fiscal 2007 from the prior year. Demand for the product line had outpaced Hormel's production capacity.

Here's the official Compleats site. 

 "From Your Desk Drawer to Delicious - in 90 Seconds." Funny, they don't mention that enticing "shelf-stable" feature in the official pitch. 

So now you know.