Heinz eliminates 600 jobs in Canadian, U.S. offices

Officials unclear on how many Ontario jobs will be affected

PITTSBURGH— Food company H.J. Heinz Co. is eliminating 600 jobs across the U.S. and Canada, including 350 in Pittsburgh, nearly a third of its operation there, it said Tuesday.

The company was sold in June and the layoffs were the result of a review of operations, spokesman Michael Mullen said. They’re intended to enable faster decision-making, increased accountability and accelerated growth, he said.

Mullen said as part of the transition to a private company, the Heinz leadership “examined every piece of our business to better position Heinz in a very competitive global market” resulting “in a number of difficult but necessary organizational changes.”

It is unclear how many of the other 250 jobs on the chopping block are in Canada.

“Out of respect for impacted employees, we intend to speak with each of them before making details available publicly,” said Heinz Canada spokeswoman Joan Patterson.

“Business will continue as usual at all our factories,” she added.

Leamington, Ont., Mayor John Paterson said he was notified of the job cuts early Tuesday. However, he said he was told no specific decisions have been made about the southwest Ontario town. He added the positions being eliminated are office jobs. In Leamington, Heinz has a large plant that produces everything from ketchup to baby food.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway and the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital bought the company in a $23.3-billion deal. With files from Vanessa Lu