The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and Lineage, Inc., one of the world’s largest providers of temperature-controlled warehousing and integrated transportation solutions, on February 3 announced a newly added service for the global food supply chain. In-house USDA import inspections will now take place at Lineage’s Jourdan Road cold storage facility in New Orleans East. This complements Lineage’s existing USDA export inspection services at its Jourdan Road facility along the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal.
Lineage entered the market in 2020 by acquiring New Orleans Cold Storage (NOCS) as part of its acquisition of Emergent Cold. NOCS was the oldest refrigerated warehouse operator in North America, founded in 1885. In 2021, a $42 million investment in Lineage’s Jourdan Road operation was announced, expanding the facility from 160,000 square feet to 304,000 square feet. The project was completed in 2022.
Additionally, through State of Louisiana and Port NOLA funding, an approximately $20 million investment in infrastructure updates is also being made to the Jourdan Road warehouse. Shipments from the cold storage facilities of Lineage draw upon multiple Louisiana poultry producers including hatcheries, feed mills, broiler complexes, and processing plants.
“In addition to the new import services, we also continue to appreciate the value added exports of Lineage that strengthen Louisiana’s $1.6 billion poultry industry, including nearly 300 commercial broiler producers throughout 11 parishes,” said Port NOLA President & CEO and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) CEO Beth Branch. “We look forward to expanding our partnership with Lineage to continue to be a key player in the global food supply chain.”
Lineage’s two cold-storage facilities at the Port of New Orleans, the second one is located at the Henry Clay Avenue Wharf, span more than 460,000 square feet and offer many ancillary services including blast freezing as well as integrated transportation supply chain solutions.
“Streamlined inspection services are crucial for products like meat and poultry, which require 100% USDA inspection before hitting the market. Having this capability onsite helps get these products to market quickly and efficiently while meeting all regulatory requirements,” said Brian Beattie, president of Lineage’s Western US operations.
