Foster Farms will close part of its only turkey processing plant, in Turlock, Calif., on May 9 and lay off 519 employees.
The closing will affect only the plant that handles fresh turkeys; the adjacent plant for cooked products will continue operating. The facility apparently was a former Butterball plant Foster acquired in 1998.
The laid-off workers may be offered jobs at other Foster locations nearby. The company has chicken plants in Livingston, Fresno and Porterville, Calif.
A company announcement cited by the Modesto Bee explained the move “in response to changes in market demand and is part of Foster Farms’ ongoing strategic plan.” The Livingston, Calif.-based business is the top seller of both chickens and turkeys in the West.
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.
