Threat to up to 100 jobs as vegetarian food manufacturer Goodlife Foods announces closure of Newark factory

Manufacturing at a Newark food-maker will cease next month with the loss of up to 100 jobs, with the owners claiming no viable alternative to moving its operations abroad can be found.

Daloon Foods (UK) Ltd, which trades as Goodlife Foods on Newark Industrial Estate, will cease manufacturing at Newark, its only UK manufacturing base, on May 6 when all of its operations will be shifted to bases in mainland Europe.

The vegetarian food manufacturer — which supplies products to Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Ocado — employs 100 people.

The company said: "Further to the announcement made on January 13, we have now completed the collective and individual consultations with our colleagues on ways of avoiding the proposed Newark site closure, or at least minimise the impact.

"Unfortunately no suitable or viable alternatives have been found, therefore, the decision has been taken to close the UK manufacturing site in Newark, and to subsequently move all volume into our group production facilities in mainland Europe.

"The decision has been driven by the challenging trading conditions that we have experienced in the UK market over recent years and that we believe we would continue to face into 2022 and beyond. By moving our production out of the UK, we can leverage the benefits of scale and efficiencies that the wider group can offer.

"We will continue to manufacture product at our Newark site up until the closure date of May 6, 2022.

"Leading up to this date we will be working closely with and supporting our colleagues in Newark to find alternative employment outside of Goodlife Foods.

Better known to Newarkers as Daloons, the food manufacturer’s name was changed to Goodlife Foods in 2016. Its Warrington site shut a few years ago and all operations were moved to Newark.