Danone is a major employer in Ireland, with this news bringing the company’s Irish workforce to near 400 people.

This completed expansion is the final phase of a €180m investment programme that has taken place at the company’s Macroom and Wexford operations in recent years.

Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton is opening the last stage of this investment programme, a new state of the art production line, this morning.

“We have a significant track record of growth and investment in Ireland over the past four years,” said Donal Courtney, managing director, Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition Ireland. “This reflects both a growing demand for our products in the European and Asian markets as well as the high regard in which the Irish operations are held amongst the Danone Groupe.

“Locating our state of the art new generation packaging line in Wexford reinforces the strategic nature of the Irish based operations.”

“Today’s official opening of Danone’s state-of-the-art new generation production and packaging line is exciting and very timely – not just for Danone’s Irish operations, but also for the Irish dairy industry,” said Michael Cantwell, Enterprise ireland manager food division. “Danone’s investment in its Irish operations further underpins Ireland’s world-wide reputation in food innovation and highlights our standing as a world leader in the food industry.”