(Radio Iowa) [updated] – Hy-Vee is closing food production facilities in Chariton and Ankeny in late June, affecting over 450 employees. Hy-Vee’s Fresh Commissary in Ankeny has produced take-and-bake-pizzas, sandwiches, salads, bakery items and employs 332 people. Hy-Vee’s Short Cuts operation in Chariton employs 129 people who cut and package fresh fruits and vegetables. The facility is the nine-largest employer in Chariton. Both facilities opened in 2018.

A Hy-Vee spokesperson says the employees will be offered jobs at Hy-Vee stores as the company shifts back to making take-out food in stores. The company says the move will improve customer service as well as the quality and freshness of its sandwiches and other items that have been produced at the Ankeny and Chariton locations.