Originally published Friday, February 10, 2012 at 5:29 PM
Heinz closing Kent food-processing plant in March
The plant, which makes frozen soups for restaurant operators, employs about 100.
Food-products company H.J. Heinz said Friday it will close its factory in Kent March 30.
The plant, which makes frozen soups for restaurant operators, employs about 100, Heinz said. In a statement, the Pittsburgh-based company attributed the closure to "the difficult conditions in which the company is operating," and said it was part of a plan, announced in November, to shut down three factories.
Heinz did not elaborate. But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in November that the company's Foodservice division, which includes the Kent plant, has suffered from commodity price increases and lackluster dining-out trends.
Soup production will move from Kent to a plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Heinz said. Kent employees will receive separation benefits and job-placement services, it added.
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