WEST LIBERTY, Iowa (KWQC) - West Liberty Foods announced Friday that the Mount Pleasant facility will be closed on May 7, 2023.

Officials say the plant closing will affect about 350 employees.

“Respect and care for people is a core value of our company, and shutting down a plant is a tough thing to do,” said Brandon Achen, President, and CEO of West Liberty Foods. “Although we are taking steps to lessen the impact on our team members, we will be eliminating the jobs of some exceptional people through no fault of their own.”

Since opening in 2003, the facility has had hundreds of millions of pounds of sliced deli meat but has recently seen a drastic reduction in pre-sliced deli meats, leaving this particular facility and its equipment unmatched to the company’s future needs and direction, according to West Liberty Foods.

“In order to lessen the impact of the plant closing to our team members, we will provide them with offers to work at one of our other plants, relocation, and transportation services, stay bonuses, severance pay, reemployment services, and assistance with filing unemployment claims,” said Tara Lindsay, Chief Talent & Culture Officer.

The shutdown will begin on December 31, 2022, with all operations ceasing at the Mount Pleasant plant on May 7, 2023. The existing operations will be moved to the remaining facilities in Iowa, Illinois, and Utah.