(RALEIGH) -- Smithfield Foods, Inc. plans an expansion of the Smithfield Packing Company facility in Lenoir County.  The company plans to create 330 new jobs and invest $85.5 million during the next three years in Kinston.

Gov. Bev Perdue made the announcement on Thursday and confirmed that the project was made possible in part by a $700,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund. As part of the expansion in Kinston, the company will add a new product line of packaged meats.

"The expansion of the Kinston plant will allow us to increase our packaged meats production to keep up with growing customer demand for our products," said C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods.

Smithfield Foods currently has more than 12,400 employees across North Carolina.