A military rations company owned by Moray soup and jam giant Baxters is poised to provide emergency food supplies to thousands of people hit by Hurricane Ida in the United States.
Wornick Foods, bought by the Scottish group in 2014, supplies forces personnel in the US and around the world with self-heating Meal Ready to Eat (MRE) packs.
They are also used in global disaster response and humanitarian efforts by governments and non-governmental organisations.
A spokesman said Cincinnati-based Wornick was in a position to provide meals in areas devastated by the storm if they were needed.
Power supplies may not be restored for weeks
Homes and shops were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people were left without power after Hurricane Ida started tearing through Louisiana and Mississippi on Sunday.
Winds of up to 150mph and extensive flooding devastated the power grid, leaving the city of New Orleans and many other areas in darkness.
Authorities have warned it may be weeks before power supplies are fully restored.
The Wornick spokesman said: “If there is demand for our emergency rations in Louisiana or further afield we are in a position to supply them either indirectly through our customer network or directly through the Defence Logistics Agency.”
Wornick, founded in Ohio in 1979, has been supplying military rations since its launch and now employs more than 500 people.
It also manufactures “shelf stable” and frozen ready-to-eat meals for retail customers.
The company spokesman also said that the controversial withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan would have “no material impact” on the business.
Baxters’ executive chairman and chief executive Audrey Baxter said following its acquisition of Wornick that the move heralded a “transformational change” to the scale of Scottish group.
Best known for its soups, family-run Baxters has its main production site in the Moray village of Fochabers, where it was founded as a grocery shop by Ms Baxter’s great grandfather, George Baxter, in 1868.
With head offices now in Edinburgh, its operations span Scotland, Australia, Poland and the US, and it owns brands including Fray Bentos, Garner Foods and Jack Daniel’s BBQ Sauce.
At the end of last year, the group announced the acquisition of another American firm, Tuitt Bros, based in Salem, Oregon, for an undisclosed sum.
Last month, former Scottish Conservative leader Baroness Ruth Davidson was appointed as a director of Baxters.
