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Dive Brief:
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Conagra Brands plans to close a nearly 100-year-old plant in Fennville, Michigan, the company said in a statement.
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The closure, which will impact 85 employees, will take place by the end of June. The plant currently makes pie filling, the company said in a statement to Food Dive.
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Conagra, which owns frozen dessert and meal brand Marie Callender's, is the latest CPG giant to announce plant closures as businesses look to increase the efficiency of their production networks and bring supply in line with demand.
Dive Insight:
As food and beverage manufacturers respond to inflation and look to boost margins, many have responded by closing product manufacturing facilities. Tyson Foods, Del Monte Foods, The Campbell’s Company and PepsiCo are among the firms that have announced closures during the last year.
In a statement, Conagra said the decision to close the Fennville, Michigan, facility “was based on the need to operate our overall operations and facility footprint as effectively and efficiently as possible."
Katie Beemer, Fennville’s city administration, told Food Dive in an email that Conagra's Fennville location started a century ago as the Michigan Fruit Canners. She said the city plans to provide support for affected employees and will “be working closely with Conagra Brands on their transition plan for the facility."
Conagra also shuttered a Wisconsin facility in 2024 that produces its Birds Eye frozen brand.
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