US food group General Mills is to close two manufacturing facilities with the loss of over 580 jobs.
The company said it plans to shut the sites – one based in the US, the other in Canada – by the end of February 2009.
General Mills blamed “declining financial results” for its decision to close a frozen waffle production site in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The company said the closure would signal its exit from the frozen waffle business and lead to the loss of 111 jobs.
In Canada, General Mills plans to close a bakeries and foodservice frozen dough facility in Trenton, Ontario. Some 470 jobs will be lost, the company said.
The company booked charges worth US$17m in the first quarter related to these sales. General Mills will incur a further charge of $17m due to the closure of the frozen dough facility during the second quarter of its financial year.
