Birds Eye to refocus on branded businesses

Birds Eye Foods Inc announced that it will concentrate its resources on its branded businesses, and increase its focus on new products and marketing. As a result, it will be exiting most of its non-branded frozen business over the next 12 to 18 months, and plans to sell five related production facilities. Birds Eye will continue to deliver non-branded frozen products to current customers during this period.

The company has already received unsolicited inquiries about its non-branded frozen business and facilities, and will be exploring those in the coming weeks. Non-branded frozen facilities include Brockport, Bergen, and Oakfield NY; Fairwater WI; and Montezuma GA. In total, these facilities employ about 740 fulltime workers. Any facility not sold after its current production season will be closed between October 2006 and June 2007. The decision to exit the non-branded business will affect a number of administrative positions in Rochester NY and Green Bay WI. The company's research and development facility will remain in Green Bay.

Another impact of this decision will be the closure of the Birds Eye facility in Watsonville CA at the end of 2006. This facility employs about 550 workers.