Anglo-Dutch food and consumer goods giant Unilever has said it is to close its Birds Eye frozen food factory in Grimsby next year.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


“We began a review of the site about a year ago looking at various options including a sale, but that didn’t come to fruition,” a Unilever spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying.


The closure, which will result in the loss of 600 jobs, is likely to occur in the first quarter of 2005. The factory makes frozen ready meals under the Birds Eye brand, which is not linked to US food company Birds Eye Foods.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact