tastyfood
bone in ham smoked

Smithfield Foods to Close Altoona, Iowa, Plant

July 2, 2024
Ham boning operation will move to other facilities in Smithfield’s network, in an effort to increase operational efficiency.

Smithfield Foods has announced it will shut down its ham boning facility in Altoona, Iowa, moving production to other locations in an attempt to improve its operational efficiency. The closure will impact 314 employees, to whom the pork processor will provide transition assistance, according to a release from the company.

The company did not share details on the timing of the closure nor the transition period.

Production from the Altoona facility will shift to other existing plants in Monmouth, Ill., Sioux Falls, S.D., and Crete, Neb. Smithfield plans to offer Altoona employees the opportunity to work at other company locations as part of its assistance plan.

The company said it employs nearly 4,000 people in Iowa at its farms as well as its processing plants in Carroll, Denison, Des Moines, Mason City, Orange City, Sioux Center and Sioux City.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.

Sponsored Recommendations

Refrigerated transport services you can count on

Ensure product quality from origin to final destination with refrigerated shipping solutions from Schneider.

4 shipping challenges that a dedicated carrier can solve

Navigating the logistics industry is challenging. Find out how a dedicated transportation solution can solve some of the most common shipping challenges.

Dedicated lightweight solution maximizes bottled water payload

A leading bottled water company needed a carrier to transport water from 29 plants to retailers. The challenge? Handling over 46,000 pounds. Read the study.

Recipe for successful growth: Schneider’s dedicated fleet services helps bakery rise

Learn how a large bakery company complimented their private fleet with Schneider Dedicated freight services to increase freight capacity, amplify visibility & reduce costs.