Idaho mashed potato company to close plant, lay off over 60 workers
Idahoan Foods, known for its instant mashed potatoes, plans to close its potato processing plant in Rupert, according to a letter the company sent the Idaho Department of Labor.
The letter, sent Tuesday, said 61 employees would be laid off. Employers are required by federal law to provide advance notice of plant closings and mass layoffs, thanks to the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act. The Idaho Statesman obtained the letter Thursday via a public records request.
“Idahoan Foods has made the business decision to permanently close the Rupert facility as part of a production network optimization based on long-term demand forecasts and business considerations,” the notice said.
The plant at 823 S. Oneida St. is about two and a half hours southeast of Boise.
Idahoan Foods said operations at the plant are expected to continue through June 26. Workers would be laid off no sooner than that date.
The letter said that of the 61 employees that work at the plant, 12 are salaried and 49 are hourly. Seven of the hourly workers are maintenance technicians and 21 are production operators. The titles of the remaining positions were redacted. All were notified directly in writing, according to the notice.
The employees can apply for open positions at other Idahoan Foods locations but are not guaranteed jobs there, the letter said. The company has several recent job postings on its website for its Lewisville and Idaho Falls plants.
Idahoan Foods, founded in 1960, is headquartered in Idaho Falls.
