Amy’s Kitchen will permanently eliminate 49 positions at its Pocatello manufacturing facility by the end of the year, according to a notice filed with the Idaho Department of Labor. The layoffs are part of a broader corporate restructuring designed to consolidate production operations across the company’s plants in Idaho and Oregon.
The Petaluma, California-based frozen meal manufacturer announced the changes on Thursday. Under the new structure, the Pocatello plant will cease canning operations, which will be transferred to the company’s Medford, Oregon facility. The remaining workforce at the Pocatello site will focus exclusively on entrée production.
Amy’s Kitchen opened its 479,000-square-foot Pocatello plant in 2014. The facility currently employs between 750 and 800 workers. The layoffs affect cooks, manufacturing operators, and staff in several other roles. Employees at the Pocatello location are not represented by a union.
Production Shifts to Oregon
The restructuring moves specific product lines to the Medford plant, which opened in 2005 and spans 350,000 square feet. That facility will now specialize in pizza, soup, burritos, and the canning operations previously handled in Pocatello.
Amy’s Kitchen is also phasing out its original Santa Rosa, California facility. The company plans to eliminate 207 jobs at the Santa Rosa site over time as production shifts to Idaho and Oregon.
Paul Schiefer, CEO of Amy’s Kitchen, stated that the manufacturing network had grown too complex for current business needs. He noted that the changes are intended to streamline operations rather than respond to declining sales. The company reported that retail sales are approaching $1 billion annually, with products distributed to 56,000 grocery stores nationwide.
“Amy’s is making changes to its manufacturing network so each facility can focus on the product categories where it is strongest,” the company said in a statement.
Local Response and Support
Pocatello Mayor Mark Dahlquist met with local management on Friday to discuss the impact of the layoffs. Management assured the mayor that the remaining employees at the Pocatello facility will be retained.
The WARN notice indicates that affected workers will be separated effective December 18. The company stated that laid-off employees will receive separation packages, job-placement assistance, and access to counseling through the employee assistance program.
An engineering firm is currently working on upgrades at the Pocatello facility as part of the transition. The plant remains one of Amy’s two primary manufacturing operations alongside Medford.