Frito-Lay PopCorners facility in New York’s Hudson Valley to close, 287 workers to be laid off

A New York Frito-Lay facility that makes PopCorners snacks will close in May, laying off the plant’s 287 workers.

Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, said in a filing with the New York State Department of Labor that it is closing the Liberty facility in the Hudson Valley for economic reasons.

“This plant has played a vital role in producing our beloved PopCorners brand, but the pace of growth for this product line paired with broader industry pace of growth has made it difficult to sustain the site’s long-term viability,” PepsiCo told the Times Union.

PopCorners snacks will stay on grocery shelves despite the closure of the Liberty facility, with no anticipated disruptions or changes to their distribution.

“PepsiCo Foods U.S. will continue to produce the PopCorners brand at other sites across the country,” the company said in a statement.

The Liberty facility opened in 1997 and was acquired by PepsiCo when it bought BFY Brands in 2019. PepsiCo didn’t specify which sites would be used for making PopCorners, though a factory in Middletown, New York, was also making PopCorners at the time that the Liberty facility was acquired, according to the Westfair Business Journal. 

The Liberty factory’s closure will start on May 21 and continue through June 6.

County and town officials plan to help the laid-off workers.

“Sullivan County, the town of Liberty, the village of Liberty, and partners … will be assisting the impacted workers in every way we can, including by providing needed services to individuals and families,” officials said in a statement to the River Reporter.

The layoffs are not the only jobs lost in the area recently. A maximum security prison in Fallsburg, New York, closed late last year, according to the River Reporter, affecting hundreds of local residents who were employed there.