Processed meats giantAmerican Foods Group LLC, Green Bay, Wis., said it expects in late February or early March to purchaseDouble D Foods Inc. for an undisclosed amount from theDowns Food Group, Mankato, Minn.

Double D Foods Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla., produces fully cooked chicken, beef, pork and turkey products. Officials said the Oklahoma City facility will be renamed asAmerican Prepared Foods LLCfollowing the acquisition.

“We are pleased to acquire a facility that expands our product lines into the cooked food and ready-to-eat markets,” said Greg Benedict, American Foods Group president and COO. “By leveraging American Foods Group’s strong processing, distribution and marketing resources, we will be able to develop quality convenience foods and better serve our customers. We look forward to a smooth transition with no interruption of production at the Oklahoma City plant.”

“The combined resources of Double D Foods and American Foods Group will provide new opportunities for growth and will maximize value to our business partners,” said Mike Downs, president of Downs Food Group. “We have high expectations for our mutual success.”

American Foods Group said it is the nation's fifth-largest beef processing company and has more than 4,000 employees. Its brands division develops products for foodservice, retail and school nutrition programs and they export to more than 38 countries. Manufacturing facilities include five beef slaughtering and processing plants, two ground-beef plants and two case-ready processing plants in six states.