C AT E G O R Y R E P O R T FRYING has future Heat and Control West Liberty Foods sees growth in fried and par fried BY B O B S I M S | b s i m s @ s o s l a n d.c o m W Breaded, fried and parfried foods have always been a comfort food on the menu of American diners. 82 est Liberty, Iowa-based West Liberty Foods LLC began its frying operations in 2000. In 2014, after the purchase of all assets of Quantum Foods in Bolingbrook, Illinois, it began its par-fry operations. "This was done to expand the company sales portfolio while taking advantage of assets secured during the purchase of the Bolingbrook operation," says Joe Swanson, vice president of operations. West Liberty Foods was formed in 1996 by the Iowa Turkey Growers Cooperative. MEAT+ POULTRY | 01.17 | www.meatpoultry.com The grower/owners have worked to maintain Iowa's farming tradition with a commitment to delivering high-quality turkeys and committing to animal welfare. The addition of assets and operations after the acquisition of the Bolingbrook operation gave West Liberty Foods the expansion of products and utilization of assets it desired, but at the same time it put them into a solid position to grow with a preparation process seeing steadily increasing numbers. STILL GROWING STRONG Fried foods remain a staple of American diners' love of comfort foods. These offerings have been part of the American menu for decades and not only remain as go-to options, but see a steady rise in popularity.http://www.meatpoultry.com