Southwestern Ontario’s food-processing industry suffered another major blow with news the Kraft Heinz plant in St. Marys will close its doors, costing the community more than 200 jobs.
The plant makes salad dressings and a variety of food products for the company and has been operating in the community since the 1950s, formerly as Richardson Foods.
It is one of seven Kraft Heinz factories closing in the U.S. and Canada in the next two years as part of a downsizing plan. It’s also the second Heinz plant to close in Southwestern Ontario in the past few years. Heinz closed its tomato-processing plant in Leamington in 2014.
Professor David Sparling, Chair of Agri-Food Innovation and Regulation at Ivey, told the London Free Press the closure was not surprising given the plant used older technology.
“(Agri-food is) a very lean industry,” he said. “You need to... invest in new technologies and new methods in order to get the most out of these plants.”
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