TORONTO -- Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX:MFI) says it has closed its wiener production facility in Hamilton as part of a broader plan to move the operations to a bigger plant in the same city.
The meat products maker said Friday that about 26 employees would lose their jobs, while the remaining 187 staff will be moved to the company's single-largest production facility, also in Hamilton.
The changes come as Maple Leaf continues a seven-year restructuring plan to improve the profits of the overall business, which is primarily focused on meat products.
It plans to close four other meat plants by the end of the year.
The company says once the plans are finished, it will operate 13 meat plants instead of 22, and two distribution centres instead of 19.
Other changes have been made in recent years, including the closure of two Maple Leaf bakeries in the Greater Toronto Area, with the operations also being consolidated in Hamilton.
