US foods producer Hearthside Food Solutions has announced the planned closure of a baked bars factory in Nashville, Tennessee.
The site will shut on 15 July, affecting 229 jobs, according to a local Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice.
A company spokesperson told Just Food the decision to close the facility comes as the group looks for “opportunities to optimise our production network across our packaging segments to better position our company to meet the needs of our customers”.
Saying that the decision comes after assessing “various factors, including market demand, operational efficiency, and costs”, they added, “we are grateful for the dedication and hard work of the team at the Nashville plant, and our top priority is supporting all employees during this transition”.
Aside from the bars plant in Nashville, the Illinois-headquartered group operates out of 23 shelf-stable facilities and seven fresh and frozen plants across the US and employs more than 9,000 people.
Hearthside Food Solutions is a contract manufacturing group and private-label bakery. These products include its shelf-stable range which features functional, granola and snack bars, as well as cookies, popcorn and crackers. It also manages a ready-to-eat fresh and frozen meals segment, which includes salads, sandwiches, frozen meals and sauces..
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The company also provides food packaging solutions such as pouches, cartons and single-serve cups and bowls.
Last year, news came to light of the business being subject to an investigation into allegations of child labour, led by the US Department of Labour (DOL).
Though not named in its initial announcement, the DOL confirmed to Reuters that Hearthside Food Solutions was one of the companies it was looking into.
The initial allegations were revealed in a New York Times investigation which found the company had employed underage workers to produce its Chewy bars, Cheetos and Lucky Charms cereal.
