TreeHouse Foods to close 2 plants it bought from ConAgra

OMAHA, Neb. — TreeHouse Foods plans to close two of the manufacturing plants it acquired earlier this year when it bought ConAgra Foods’ private label business.

Oak Brook-based Treehouse says it will eliminate 720 jobs when it closes the plants in Azusa, California, and Ripon, Wisconsin.

Most of the job losses will happen in California where the plant employs 660 people making bars and other snack products.

The Wisconsin plant employs 60 people making sugar wafer cookies, but TreeHouse says there isn’t enough demand for those to keep the plant open.

TreeHouse says it is working to eliminate excess capacity. The company will offer severance pay.

Closing the plants will cost TreeHouse about $17 million, or 19 cents per share, over the next five quarters through the second quarter of next year.