U.S. Department of Agriculture announced an $11.1 million loan under the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program for Crystal Freeze Dry LLC in Iowa.

The company will receive the loan to expand its capacity to make freeze-dried egg products, according to an Oct. 21 USDA news release. The investment, credited to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, will also "create job opportunities for people living in rural Iowa."

"The Biden-Harris administration is investing in ways to create more, new and better market opportunities for farmers and increase access to healthy food options for people across the nation," USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the news release. "Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program, USDA has become a stronger partner to small and midsize farmers everywhere by backing private investments to expand processing capacity that will strengthen the food supply chain for the American people."

The loan to the dried-egg producer "will help to eliminate supply chain bottle necks and create more resilient, diverse and secure food supply infrastructure right here at home," Vilsack said in the release. Crystal Freeze Dry is expected to use the money to expand its business and hire seven more employees.

The funds came from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, a landmark $1.9 trillion pandemic-based economic stimulus package that went into effect in March of last year and aimed at resolving food system issues made worse by the COVID-19 outbreak, the release reported.

USDA plans to announced additional recipients of its $1 billion Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program in the coming weeks and months, the news release said.