The longtime Elmwood Park food company is not shutting down, but it will close its New Jersey manufacturing plant, eliminate 168 jobs and shift production to Kentucky as Gov. Mikie Sherrill faces growing scrutiny over companies cutting back or leaving the state.
ELMWOOD PARK, NJ — Dr. Praeger’s Sensible Foods is getting out of the manufacturing business in New Jersey.
The company, founded in Elmwood Park in 1994 and known nationally for frozen veggie burgers, plant-based foods and other specialty products, will permanently close its New Jersey manufacturing facility and move production to Kentucky.
The company is not going out of business; it’s just leaving New Jersey before it does.
A Dr. Praeger’s spokesperson said production will be transferred to a Kentucky facility operated by a manufacturing partner, while employees who remain with the company will move into a new corporate office in the Elmwood Park area in early 2027.
“Today, we informed employees of our decision to permanently close our Elmwood Park, New Jersey manufacturing facility, and transition production to a new facility in Kentucky operated by a trusted manufacturing partner,” the company said.
168 New Jersey Jobs Are Going Away
The move will affect 168 workers, according to the company’s WARN filing.
The layoffs are scheduled to take effect Dec. 30.
Dr. Praeger’s started in Elmwood Park more than three decades ago and built its brand there. The company later grew into a national frozen-food business selling veggie burgers, hash browns, plant-based nuggets, seafood products and other prepared foods.
Private equity firm Vestar Capital Partners acquired a majority stake in the company in 2021.
The brand itself will continue. The New Jersey production operation will not.
The New Jersey GOP did not hesitate to take a shot at Sherrill.
“Quick reminder,GovSherrillNJ: Donald Trump is also president in Kentucky — where Dr. Praeger’s is sending 168 New Jersey jobs. If this were Washington’s fault, companies would be fleeing every state. They’re fleeing New Jersey. This is on you and the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Wise up.,” the NJ Republican Legislative Caucus posted on X.
Company Is Keeping a Corporate Presence Nearby
Dr. Praeger’s is not abandoning New Jersey entirely, but this is more bad news for the Sherill administration, which blames President Trump for the deteriorating business climate in the state.
The company said remaining employees will transition to a new corporate office somewhere in the Elmwood Park area next year.
The biggest loss for New Jersey is the production operation and the 168 jobs attached to it.
Another Name Added to New Jersey’s Growing List of Job Cuts
The Dr. Praeger’s announcement arrives during a rough stretch for employment in New Jersey.
The state lost 21,900 jobs in July after revisions to the preliminary numbers and another 1,700 in August. Other major employers have announced layoffs, relocations, consolidations or reductions in their New Jersey footprints during 2026.
Burlington Stores announced plans to move its corporate headquarters from Burlington County to Philadelphia.
ExxonMobil changed its corporate domicile from New Jersey to Texas.
Novo Nordisk has announced additional New Jersey layoffs.
Bristol Myers Squibb, Prudential, Banker Steel and other companies have also appeared in recent state layoff filings.
New Jersey Republicans have been using those announcements to argue that the state’s taxes, costs and regulatory climate are driving employers elsewhere.
Sherrill Has Put Much of the Economic Blame on Trump
Gov. Mikie Sherrill has offered a very different explanation for the weakness in the job market.
Following the latest national employment report, Sherrill said President Donald Trump’s economic policies were hurting New Jersey workers and families.
“This morning’s jobs report is yet another example of how Donald Trump’s economy is a bust, with New Jersey families paying the price,” Sherrill said.
Her administration has also blamed Trump administration tariffs and other federal policies for pressure on employers.
When Republicans previously pointed to companies leaving or cutting jobs in New Jersey, Sherrill spokesman Sean Higgins argued that federal policy was the larger problem.
“If Republicans actually wanted to create jobs and not just try to score political points, they’d join Governor Sherrill in fighting back against these federal policies that are destroying jobs and increasing costs,” Higgins said.
Republicans were left scratching their heads. These companies aren’t going out of business. They’re just getting out of New Jersey. Republicans know the Sherill administration isn’t about to start listening to their ideas on how to reverse that trend either.
