Latest news with #DeboraDeAngelis
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Wonderbrands lays off 50 people in Sudbury
Wonderbrands, the company that makes sliced bread products such as Wonder, D'Italiano and Country Harvest, says it is ending sliced bread production in Sudbury. Fifty full and part-time jobs at the facility will be cut. "This is not just job losses for the affected workers. It's a loss for the entire northern Ontario community," said Debora De Angelis, a representative with Local 175 of the of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) union. Wonderbrands confirmed production on the bread line would end as of Oct. 6, but production of bun rolls would continue. In a statement to CBC News, the company said the decision was not made lightly and was driven by a sustained industry-wide shift in bread consumption. They said they remain committed to maintaining bakery activity in Sudbury and supporting their employees through this transition. Michael von Massow, a food economist at the University of Guelph, said he's not surprised by the announcement. "This is not the result of eating less bread, but more of us continuing to eat more of a variety of breads," said von Massow He added the style of bread Wonderbrands produces may be declining in popularity, and rather than shift production to something else, the company is likely consolidating sliced bread production at a bigger plant at another location. "You can see that change as you walk into the grocery store and see the large variety you can now choose from. This means we now have a huge variety of production needs," von Massow said. "So, these styles of bread that were known as the core are seeing decreases in demand not because you are eating less bread but because you are eating many different types of bread." He said the move is still concerning when it comes to food processing in northern Ontario. "Part of the problem is if we are trucking both ingredients up and then trucking finished product back down, no matter what the size is, the freight makes it difficult to be competitive," he said Von Massow said he believes the government has a role to play in managing transitions for food processors, "but there has to be a market for those products. There has be an economic case for those products."
CBC
29-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
'A surprise and a disappointment': Sudbury dairy to close a year after getting $1.4M from province
A Sudbury dairy that received $1.4 million in provincial funding from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund last year to convert to plant-based milk is shutting its doors. Lactalis has announced that 33 jobs will be cut in December when the plant, formerly known as Palm Dairy, closes down. The company declined an interview, but in a statement called it a "difficult decision" based on a "sustained decline" in the sales of plant-based milk caused by "a shift in market dynamics and the challenges associated with the broader economic climate." Asked about the provincial funding it received last year, Lactalis said that it is "grateful" for the support of the Ontario government, noting that the money was a "small part of the overall investment and not a factor regarding the commercial viability" of the Sudbury plant. The company also said in a statement that it will "act on the terms of the funding agreement" with the province. The CBC asked the Ontario government for comment, but has not yet heard back. Twenty-six of those 33 dairy workers are represented by United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 175 and 633. Debora De Angelis, the union's director of political action and member engagement, said the news of the shutdown was a surprise for workers. "Absolutely! Given the significant investment that this company made recently in refurbishing its entire facility, this announcement was definitely a surprise and a disappointment," she said.
