Cargill, Inc. will lay off 111 workers at its meat production plant in Nashville, Tenn., a little more than six years after announcing a $146 million investment to expand the facility.
The changes will only affect “crumbles production” at the Cargill Meats Solutions facility in Davidson County, according to a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act document filed Jan. 25.
Layoffs are expected by March 15.
The layoffs come after a challenging year for the meat industry. JBS, Smithfield, Tyson and other major companies suffered losses throughout 2023, driven by operational challenges and weak consumer demand. This led to a string of downsizing and job cuts at several farm and manufacturing locations.
As part of the transition, most of Cargill’s “cooked crumbles” production will move from Nashville to facilities in Columbus, Neb. and Fort Worth, Texas, a company spokesperson told Agriculture Dive in a Jan. 31 email.
Cargill’s crumbles are meat products used in pizzas, burritos, soups, hot snacks and other prepared foods. In 2017, the company invested $146 million to expand its Nashville dried sausage operations to meet growing demand from its protein customers for value-added products. This brought more than 100 jobs to the area, essentially doubling the facility’s staff at the time.
Eligible employees will receive a severance package, and Cargill will support affected workers in searching for new job opportunities within and outside of the company, Cargill spokesman Chuck Miller wrote.
“This was a challenging decision given its people impact,” Miller said. “However, we are confident in the care and support we are providing, as well as that it is the right move to make for the future of our business.”
Cargill will continue to produce pepperoni with 160 workers at the Nashville facility, the company said. It also ensured no delivery disruptions of its cooked crumbles products during the transition.
Approximately 270 people worked at the Nashville site before Cargill’s announcement.
