Jobs may be headed to Mexico

More than 100 workers who produce taco shells and meal kits for General Mills in northwest Wisconsin may see their jobs exported to Mexico.

A Poplar plant that manufactures Old El Paso products is scheduled to cease production by August — the same month that General Mills expects a newly constructed taco factory in Irapuato, Mexico, to hit full stride. The new facility will employ 250 people, annually churning out 4.5 million cases of pre-formed taco shells, tostadas and tortillas — all destined for sale in the U.S. under the Old El Paso label, according to Periodico AM, a newspaper chain serving central Mexico.

General Mills did not return calls for comment.

The 113 employees of the Poplar plant have been advised by General Mills supervisors not to speak to the media.

The pending shutdown will deprive Poplar of its largest single employer.

That blow could be softened, if only slightly, by federal aid. Shifting work to Mexico could open the way for workers to obtain aid through the Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance program. This program, designed to help workers who have lost employment due to foreign competition, can fund retraining, job search assistance, travel allowances, income support and other re-employment services.

Tags: taco, plant, jobs, education, workers