Premier Foods is ploughing £19m into its Ambrosia factory in Lifton, Devon, to boost capacity following strong consumer demand for its porridge pots.

The three-year investment programme is set to safeguard more than 320 local jobs and is being delivered in two phases.

The food manufacturer said the first, worth £9m, has already seen a new custard filling line and high-speed packing equipment installed, streamlining production and moving Ambrosia pots into fully recyclable packaging.

Meanwhile, a further £10m is now being spent on a factory extension and new custard-making plant, due to be completed next summer.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

The upgrades will free up capacity to meet surging demand for Ambrosia’s porridge pots, while also cutting energy use in custard and rice pudding production by 50%.

Lifton has been the home of Ambrosia since 1917 and remains a major employer in the region, using more than 50 million litres of milk from West Country farms each year.

Premier Foods, which portfolio also includes Mr Kiplings, Bisto and Oxo, said the site also aims to support apprenticeships, long-serving employees, and community projects including river health monitoring and school careers advice.

Premier Foods factory general manager Rachel Matheson said: “The porridge pots have been a huge hit, and it’s great to see how success like this enables us to reinvest in the site, back into our teams and in increased capacity. Our site has been part of the Lifton community for over 100 years and we’re just as excited about what’s coming next.”