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Tyson Foods to Shutter Two More Plants: Original Philly Facilities in North Philadelphia

Dec. 4, 2024

The plants were focused on producing meats for cheesesteaks, and the news of their closure comes a day after Tyson announced the shuttering of its Emporia, Kan., operations.

Andy Hanacek

Just a day after news broke that Tyson Foods would be closing a meat plant and lab in Emporia, Kan., local news reports out of the Philadelphia, Pa., area say that the company will also close two meat plants in North Philadelphia, Pa., and lay off more than 200 employees.

The two facilities were acquired by Tyson in 2017 from Original Philly Holdings Inc., and focused on processing meats for cheesesteak products. The company filed a workforce notice saying it would close the Original Philly Raw plant on Dec. 13, 2024, and Original Philly Cooked plant on Jan. 31, 2025. The closures — similar to those in Emporia — come about as part of Tyson’s focus on operating more efficiently, according to reports.

These are the latest closures of plants in a years-long effort by the company to trim its operations and get its financial house back in order following heavy financial losses through the recent inflationary post-pandemic era. None of Tyson’s commodity meat businesses (poultry, pork or beef) have been spared.

In 2023, Tyson shuttered six chicken plants across the country in two separate moves, as well as two case-ready plants late in the year. In July 2024, the company sold its Vienna, Ga., poultry complex, which followed the closure of the Perry, Iowa, pork-processing plant.

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.