Dive Brief:

• Cargill announced Friday that it will close its meat slicing and packaging plant in Springfield, MO, and relocate the facilities to Nebraska City, NE, and Waco, TX, effectively cutting 118 jobs.
• The company says it will better serve customers as the meat processed at these plants is produced closer to the new facilities. 
• Cargill cites proximity to raw materials, technology-driven efficiencies that can be gained, and shipping logistics benefits as other reasons why the company made this decision.

Dive Insight:

Cargill originally acquired the Springfield facility in 2008. To offset the loss of jobs, the company has offered affected employees a severance package and relocation support and opportunities. It will also host job fairs. Cargill also shut down a Memphis plant in December. News of the Springfield closure comes just after Cargill reported a 41% earnings increase year over year in Q2 2015.