Philip Morris International is expanding a Kentucky factory making nicotine pouches

Philip Morris International is set to invest $232 million to expand a Kentucky factory that makes nicotine pouches, part of the company’s broader strategy toward what it calls a “smoke-free future.” The expansion at the Swedish Match plant in Owensboro is expected to add 450 jobs, boosting the factory’s workforce by about 40% to help meet growing demand for smoke-free products, the company said. The factory in western Kentucky produces ZYN nicotine pouches, a brand that’s part of a growing segment of nicotine-based alternatives for consumers switching from cigarettes or other tobacco products. “We are accelerating our mission toward a smoke-free future, working with our U.S. affiliates to move adults away from cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products by providing better alternatives,” Stacey Kennedy, CEO of PMI’s U.S. business, said in a release. There’s little research on the long-term effects of nicotine pouches, but many researchers expect they will show similarly low rates of carcinogens and other toxic components.