The Wattie’s brand has been on New Zealand shelves since 1934 and was bought by Heinz, now Kraft Heinz, in 1992. Now, Heinz Wattie’s is set to close manufacturing lines across New Zealand at the cost of 350 jobs. The company blames high input costs and shoppers trading down to cheaper brands. Heinz Wattie’s revenue has been essentially flat for nearly a decade as costs continued to rise.

Managing director Andrew Donegan said the company had no choice but to act. “If we don’t make these changes now, it’s going to be quite challenging to run the business for the future.”

Made with the support of NZ On Air.