Utz Brands to Close Alabama Golden Flake Snacks Plant

April 28, 2023

Beloved regional snack brand will continue to be manufactured at other Utz facilities after Birmingham facility shuts down on July 3.

Andy Hanacek

Snack food processor Utz Brands announced it plans to shut down its Birmingham, Ala., plant, which processes local favorite Golden Flake branded snacks, according to local news reports. The company said in an SEC filing that the closure would take effect July 3, and it would result in the loss of 175 jobs.

Utz said that Golden Flake snacks and other products produced at the plant will continue to be manufactured at other facilities, and that the plant shutdown was a move to optimize its operations and control costs.

Approximately 100 of the plant’s 275 current employees are expected to continue to work for Utz Quality Foods as part of the distribution center and logistics team in the region.

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.