Kraft Heinz to close 7 factories, including San Leandro site

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Kraft Heinz will close seven plants in the U.S. and Canada, including one in the East Bay, over the next two years as part of a downsizing that will eliminate 2,600 jobs, or roughly 14 percent of its North American factory workforce, the newly merged food company announced Wednesday.

Part of the company’s cheese production will also be moved away from Champaign, Ill.

“Our decision to consolidate manufacturing across the Kraft Heinz North American network is a critical step in our plan to eliminate excess capacity and reduce operational redundancies for the new combined company,” Michael Mullen, senior vice president of corporate and government affairs, said in a statement.