Source: Radio New Zealand
(File photo)
Major food company Heinz Wattie’s has proposed changes to discontinue some manufacturing operations in New Zealand.
The company, said the proposal would result in the closure of three manufacturing facilities in Auckland, Christchurch and Dunedin. Packing would also cease at the associated frozen lines in King St, Hastings.
The company said about 350 jobs were expected to be affected.
It outlined plans to axe the sale and production of a number of its products and brands, including frozen vegetables and Gregg’s coffee.
It would also no longer produce dips sold under the Mediterranean, Just Hummus and Good Taste Company brands.
Heinz Wattie’s said it would consult with staff on the plan, which it said had come about because of increasingly difficult manufacturing conditions.
“Globally high inflation and various industry challenges have all placed ongoing pressure on the commercial performance of the business,” the company said.
Suppliers would also be affected with pea and other vegetable growers, specifically 220 growers in Canterbury supplying the Christchurch site, losing their contracts.
“The decision to start this process was not taken lightly,” Heinz Wattie’s Managing Director Andrew Donegan said.
“Numerous alternatives and options were explored before reaching this phase. It is a necessary step to position our company for the future.”
The proposal is subject to a two-week consultation period with staff, union representatives, growers, suppliers, retail partners and other local stakeholders.
Last October, Wattie’s announced it would further reduce its fruit and vegetable crops it sourced from its home in Hawke’s Bay, citing an ongoing struggle against cheaper imports.
The month before, it announced it would reduce the production of canned peaches.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
