General Mills said Wednesday it will close three Missouri manufacturing plants as part of an ongoing effort by the food giant to strengthen the competitiveness of its supply chain.
The plants that will close include a pizza crust manufacturing plant in St. Charles, along with two facilities in Joplin that were acquired through the company's $1.45 billion purchase of Whitebridge Pet Brands in 2024, General Mills spokesperson Mollie Wulff told FOX Business.
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"General Mills announced it will close its two Joplin, Missouri, Whitebridge Pet Brands manufacturing plants and its St. Charles, Missouri, TNT Pizza Crust manufacturing plant, which were acquired in 2024 and 2022, respectively," Wulff told FOX Business in an email. "Production at these locations will transition to other facilities."
Most Whitebridge employees are expected to be offered positions at General Mills’ existing Joplin sites, while TNT Pizza Crust workers will be supported in pursuing roles at other company locations, according to General Mills.
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Production at the Joplin plants is scheduled to end by July 2026, while the St. Charles facility is expected to close by the end of June 2026. The company said it also plans to consolidate assets at other locations, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The closures are expected to result in about $82 million in restructuring charges, including around $64 million in asset write-offs and $18 million in severance and other costs, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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About $49 million of those charges are expected to be recorded in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026. The restructuring is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal year 2029, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The moves come as the Minnesota-based company pursues cost-control initiatives aimed at delivering $100 million in savings in fiscal year 2026, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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In June, General Mills said it was planning to remove artificial colors from all U.S. cereals and K-12 school foods by summer 2026, with the rest of its U.S. retail products following by the end of 2027.
