SALISBURY, MD. — Perdue Farms said it plans to invest $42 million to expand its cooking operation in Perry, Ga., including the installation of a third cooking line to occupy 30,000 square feet of space. The plant makes a variety of frozen, cooked chicken products for consumers and restaurants.

“This expansion will help us meet the growing demand for no-antibiotics-ever and organic products, and maintain the high level of customer service and reliability our customers in Georgia and across the country expect from Perdue,” said Randy Day, chief executive officer of Perdue Farms.

Perdue acquired the facility from Cagle’s Inc. in 2004. Since that time, Perdue has created more than 900 jobs, modernized and expanded its processing plant, opened a distribution center and added a cooking line.