JBS plans to double output at Saudi chicken plant by end of 2026
Brazilian meat group also moves to exit US-based meat snacks joint venture
SAUDI ARABIA – The world’s largest meat producer, JBS, plans to double production at its chicken processing facility in Jeddah by the end of 2026.
The expansion comes as Saudi Arabia steps up efforts to grow local food manufacturing and reduce its dependence on imports, a strategy that has drawn increased interest from Brazilian food companies seeking a foothold in the Gulf market.
JBS began operating the Jeddah plant last year after constructing the facility from scratch, and the site has already contributed to a fourfold increase in the company’s total production capacity within the kingdom.
The Brazilian group sells beef and poultry products in Saudi Arabia under its Seara brand, which was introduced to local consumers in 2021 and has since become one of the three largest brands in its category by market share, according to the company.
Joao Campos, chief executive of JBS’s Seara division, told Reuters that the company views Saudi Arabia as a long-term market and is continuing to scale up local operations to serve both domestic demand and regional export markets.
Beyond the Jeddah expansion, JBS is working with the Arabian Company for Agricultural and Industrial Investment, which will manufacture products for the Seara brand as part of a broader push to deepen local production partnerships.
Campos declined to disclose the company’s total production capacity in Saudi Arabia, where JBS also operates a plant in Dammam that produces beef burgers and other poultry items.
Since entering the Saudi market, JBS has invested about US$85 million in the country, and products from the Jeddah facility are already being shipped to neighbouring markets including Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Competitive moves in Saudi Arabia
The company’s plans follow a separate investment announced last October by Brazilian rival MBRF, which signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Halal Products Development Company to expand their local joint venture and prepare it for a potential listing on the Riyadh stock exchange by 2027.
MBRF is also constructing a food processing plant in Jeddah that is expected to handle around 40,000 tonnes of meat products annually once operations begin in mid-2026.
Exit from the US snacks partnership
In a separate development, regulatory filings show that JBS has begun the process of exiting its long-standing meat snacks joint venture with US jerky producer Jack Link’s, a partnership that dates back to 2010.
JBS has asked Brazil’s competition authority to approve the transaction, noting that the joint venture is registered in Brazil and therefore subject to local antitrust oversight.
Documents indicate that Jack Link’s stake is held through Minneapolis-based LSI Inc., which is set to acquire JBS’s share, with Troy Link, the current chief executive and son of the company’s founder, listed among the buyers.
The partnership was originally formed to manufacture meat snacks at two JBS-run facilities in Sao Paulo state for export to the United States and other markets, with JBS supplying raw materials while operational duties were shared.
Jack Link’s has since expanded independently through acquisitions, including the purchase of Australia’s Kooee! All Natural Snacks in 2025 and Golden Island Jerky from Tyson Foods in 2020.
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