Nestlé will shut three US candy plants

Nestlé USA plans to shut three US candy plants in St. Louis by mid-2006. Nestlé has bought the St. Louis-based candy company Sunmark Co. and the popular brands Swee-TARTS, Tangy Taffy, Pixy Stix and similar treats in 1988.
Nestle told the 383 employees that it plans to phase out production here, starting in December. All the employees will be laid off as the plants close, but they can apply for jobs at other Nestle facilities, a company spokeswoman said.


The decision to close the plants results from "the industry s intensely competitive environment," Nestle said in a letter distributed to employees. As part of a division-wide review, Nestle concluded that moving production to other plants made more sense.