Polish food company Pudliszki, a subsidiary of US food giant Heinz, plans to lay off 80 members of its 700-strong workforce in 2003.

The company said it would lay off 40 employees by the end of January and another 40 in May. Pudliszki has upgraded and reorganised its production process and increased labour productivity in the last few years, reported the Polish News Digest.

The company, which specialises in the manufacture of fruit and vegetable frozen and preserved products, has two plants located in Pudliszki and Miedzychod, in southern Poland.