Dairy Fresh, which has operated a milk bottling plant in Baker, La., since 1985, plans to close the facility as the company consolidates its operations into its Lafayette bottling facility. Fred Stern, a spokesman for Borden Dairy, which bought Dairy Fresh in about 2009, said the decision was made to improve operating efficiencies and enhance competitiveness. Borden released the following statement:
"This has been a difficult decision. We are committed to working hard to lessen the impact on affected employees and will be offering a severance package for those employees who remain with the company until the plant closes."