Cargill deal could mean layoffs in Sidney

The company says those employees will continue to work in Sidney during a transition period, which could take up to 18 months.

“The work the employees are doing will end,” Cargill spokesman Pete Stoddart said. “And they will likely transition out of their roles in Cargill in Sidney. But there may be opportunities for them in other parts of Cargill.”

Cargill’s DSM segment makes mayonnaise, tartar sauce, flavored dressings and sauces for national food-service companies and distributors, the company said.

The business operates from a facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and two facilities under Cargill’s fats and oils group in Florida, Georgia and Sidney.

“Cargill’s 46 employees at Cargill’s DSM Port St. Lucie (Fla.) plant will be offered employment by Ventura Foods,” Cargill said in its statement. “Many of the 52 Cargill DSM employees in Gainesville (Ga.) and 197 Cargill DSM employees in Sidney will be retained by Cargill for 15-18 months during the Cargill-Ventura Foods co-manufacturing agreement.”

Roughly one third of Sidney Cargill employees work in that portion of the business, Stoddart said. He declined to say precisely how many people total Cargill employs in Sidney.

In Ohio, Cargill employs about 1,600 people total, the company said. The company also has an agricultural service plant in Harrison Twp. off Needmore Road.

A Cargill worker at the Sidney facility, Brian Callihan of Christianburg, told WHIO-TV that for many workers in Sidney, the job is “their life.” He said his job will end in July, and that many of his colleagues also have their own “departure dates.”

“A lot of people didn’t expect this,” Callahin said. “They didn’t.”

Ventura Foods will take ownership of the Florida facility, which is solely focused on the DSM business. The Sidney facility also has other areas of focus, and will not be acquired by Ventura Foods. Cargill will continue to own both the Sidney and Gainesville plants, where it will conduct its North American fats and oils business.

A spokeswoman for Ventura Foods asked for time to research before answering questions.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2016. Terms were not disclosed.