A Forres food factory which produces dried meat snacks will cease production with the loss of 36 jobs.
Forres New World Foods on Greshop Industrial Estate, which is part of Valeo Foods UK, will shut its doors on April 30.
The decision comes following a “comprehensive strategic review” of its UK businesses in order to optimise “the manufacturing footprint”.
Why is Forres facility closing?
A spokesman for Valeo Foods said a number of “logistical challenges” were presented by the factory’s location.
The business, which specialises in beef jerky, operates three manufacturing facilities located in York, Wigan as well as Forres.
He said: “Ultimately the aim is to position the business for future growth and success.
“Key factors were taken into consideration when reviewing the meat snacks footprint.
“Forres presents significant logistical challenges due to its remote location. These challenges have made it increasingly difficult to maintain cost efficiencies, which are crucial in today’s competitive market.
“The strategic review considered many different options from a capacity, cost and cash perspective.
“As a result the proposal was to cease operations at our meat snacks production facility in Forres and transfer production to sister Valeo sites.
“We conducted a collective consultation with all employees at the Forres site and no alternative solutions were found to mitigate this proposal.”
The spokesman also said the capacity for growth and future development potential played a part in the decision.
Forres New World Foods closure
Valeo’s strategic review considered many different options from a capacity, cost and cash perspective.
It also assessed the projected investment required across all sites, along with identifying operational improvement opportunities.
Valeo Foods UK Kevin Moore said: “This closure is in no way a reflection on the dedicated efforts of the Forres team, who have shown great commitment to improve the performance of the site in recent years.”
The site was originally home to a company called Meat Snacks which then became New World Foods which was acquired by Valeo Foods UK in 2021.
Valeo said it will work closely with a third-party specialist to try to find alternate employment for its staff.
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