Maple Leaf
Maple Leaf 
CANADA, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Maple Leaf Foods is preparing to close its Thamesford plant as it shifts operations to a new Sofina facility in Mitchell, Ont. This was reported by lfppress.
The small village of Thamesford is grieving as one of its longest and largest employers pulls out of Oxford. More than 400 people are employed at the Thamesford plant. Maple Leaf Foods will be setting up an employee support centre to help workers through the job search process.
“This was a very difficult decision, but necessary given the substantial physical limitations at our 80-year-old Thamesford plant,” said Maple Leaf Foods president and CEO Michael McCain. Instead, the plant’s fresh turkey processing will be moved to Sofina’s Mitchell, Ont. facility in phases over the next year. The transition should be complete in early 2018.
“This was a very difficult decision, but necessary given the substantial physical limitations at our 80-year-old Thamesford plant,” said Maple Leaf Foods president and CEO Michael McCain. Instead, the plant’s fresh turkey processing will be moved to Sofina’s Mitchell, Ont. facility in phases over the next year. The transition should be complete in early 2018.
“It just isn’t feasible to maintain operations here beyond the next two years. The processing agreement we’ll have in place with Sofina Foods will really give us the opportunity to continue strongly in the turkey industry in Canada,” public relations director Annemarie Dijkhuis said. “It will have the pace that’s required for consumer demand of products like turkey burgers and ground turkey.”
Source: lfp