Southern Alberta farmers got devastating news with the announcement Nortera Foods closing its Lethbridge, Alta. facility in June.
It ends a 75-year run as a frozen vegetable processor in the area, according to a social media post by Johnson Fresh Farms from Barnwell, one of the many fresh vegetable contractors to be affected, producing the sweet Taber corn the area is known for.
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WHY IT MATTERS: Nortera plant closure in June leaves several southern Alberta producers scrambling to figure out what to put in their crop rotations with upcoming loss of contracts.
The affected 6,000 contracted acres in the southern Alberta produces 40 million pounds of frozen vegetables according to Johnson Fresh Farms.
“(It) is affecting several jobs and family farms including ours scrambling to figure out what we are going to grow to replace all those vegetable acres with,” said Johnson Fresh Farms in its post.
“That is why we are encouraging everyone to support your local farms and everyone that will be affected when the plant permanently closes. We have some ideas, but we’re gonna need your support, so stay tuned to find out.”
The news comes on the heels of Quebec-based Nortera buying in late October, the Green Giant and Le Sieur brands in Canada from New Jersey-based B&G Foods, and investing $28 million in its Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu plant. Nortera also announced the closure of its Saint-Césaire plant which was scheduled for late January 2026.
The move has been dubbed a “strategic restructuring of its Canadian frozen facilities” according to a company press release, in a market increasingly challenged by international imports.
Over the coming months, production volumes and certain equipment from the Lethbridge plant will be transferred to several of the company’s other frozen facilities.
“Closing a facility is never an easy decision, especially given the dedication of our Lethbridge team,” said Hugo Boisvert, CEO of Nortera in a press release.
“Current market pressures have made it essential for us to consolidate our operations. By optimizing our manufacturing footprint, we are securing the future and the competitiveness of Nortera.”
The transition will affect approximately 70 employees at the plant.
Nortera is North America’s leading processor of frozen and canned vegetables. It operates 13 plants in Canada and the U.S.
