Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer will phase out bacon production in its Kirksville, Mo., plant by the end of 2015, eliminating 275 jobs. The Kirksville Daily Express reports that a memo circulated to the plant’s enployees stated that the company will be consolidating bacon production in the spring of 2015. The plant’s ham production will not be affected.
The company's bacon production is being consolidated to Coshocton, Ohio, which is dedicated solely to bacon and produces about two-thirds of the company's volume already. Kirksville was the only other plant producing bacon for the company.
"This is not a reflection on Kirksville employees, who have done terrific work. We are committed to treating our employees with respect and we are telling you now to give you time to consider your options," the memo states.
Kraft spokesperson Joyce Hodel said the company currently employs 415 full-time hourly and salaried people at its Kirksville plant, with sometimes more than 100 other temporary employees. About 275 of those people work on the bacon production line, jobs Hodel said the company expects will be eliminated.
"This is a consolidation of our bacon production from two sites into one - to build manufacturing scale, lower our overhead and total production costs and make more effective use of our manufacturing assets," Hodel said.
Hodel said Kraft will look to possibly bring other production lines to Kirksville, but that there was "nothing firm to share at this time."
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