Danone is closing a New Jersey plant-based dairy facility as the Silk manufacturer aims to better position its U.S. business for the future.
The food and beverage company said its Bridgeton, New Jersey, facility will shutter on Aug. 4, and approximately 114 workers will be laid off.
The plant currently manufactures alternative dairy products under the Silk and So Delicious Dairy Free brands, according to a company spokesperson. Following the closure, production will be reassigned to other Danone facilities, including Dallas; Mt. Crawford, Virginia; and Jacksonville, Florida.
“This change is part of a broader effort to transform our network and enables our investment in critical capabilities across our core U.S. footprint, for the long term,” the spokesperson said.
Plant based has been a rare blemish recently at Danone, which reported approximately $7.9 billion in sales in its first quarter. In February, Juergen Esser, Danone’s CFO, called out “unsatisfactory performance” at the company’s plant-based and coffee creamers business.
Meanwhile, Danone has seen robust demand for many of its yogurts as consumers look for protein-packed, portion-controlled offerings.
The Activia and Oikos maker said last October that it was struggling to meet demand for high-protein products due to a lack of manufacturing capacity in the U.S. To help alleviate the strain, Danone has announced plans to expand its facility in Fort Worth, Texas, while also expanding and upgrading its Minster, Ohio, yogurt facility.
Industry wide, alternative milk sales fell 6% to 358.4 million gallons in 2025, according to the National Milk Producers Federation, citing Circana data. Since its peak in 2021, plant-based sales have declined by nearly one-fifth, with the steepest annual decline occurring last year.
