Some �30m will be invested in a new food manufacturing site in Thetford which is due to begin production in the spring.

Some 100 jobs will initially be created at the 2 Sisters Food Group on Caxton Way in the old Tulip building, with a potential of 200 more in the future.

Managing director at 2 Sisters UK, Eddie Power, said: 'We are very excited about the prospects of opening our new Thetford factory. This will enable us to offer customers an exciting new range of healthy and nutritious coated food products, alongside our existing best selling lines.

'Over recent years we have sought to minimise our carbon footprint by reducing our distribution emissions and lowering our energy usage. Thetford will be highly automated with technological and environmental advances that will set the standard in sustainable design and environmental performance.

'We believe we are the first food business to open a new coated protein factory of this scale in the UK for almost 10 years. Our aim is to deliver significant environmental benefits as well as revolutionise the production of coated foods available in the UK.

'We expect the new site to generate over 100 jobs when it opens, with the potential of another 200 jobs in the future.'

The company already has a long-established site in Haughley Park near Stowmarket, but as demand for their chicken products have increased the company has found itself needing to expand into a larger, additional site.

Thetford will be a flagship development for the company which will include state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and cutting edge engineering to reduce carbon and minimise waste from the supply chain. It will also act as a regional hub for the food group's sites at Haughley Park and Flixton to help with more efficient transport links and to reduce food miles.

The emphasis on reducing environmental impact will extend to employees, who will have access to cycle sheds and electric car recharging points. Employees for the new facility will be sourced locally.