Cambridge salad processing facility to remain open... for now

PM FRESH, the new owners of Houston’s, a local salad leaf producer, have announced that the Cambridge processing facility will remain operational until February 2025. 

This decision comes after the company initially indicated plans to close the site this month, a move that would have impacted its 12 remaining employees.

Australian Workers Union Secretary Robert Flanagan expressed uncertainty about the facility’s long-term future. “While the facility will stay open for now, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen after February,” Mr Flanagan said.

“It’s certainly not the facility it was,” he said.

HS Fresh (previous owner of Houston’s) entered voluntary administration in June, leading to the acquisition by PM Fresh. The transition resulted in the redundancy of around 30 workers, prompting fears for the remaining jobs at the Cambridge location.

Currently, the 12 employees are engaged in processing salad leaves imported from the mainland and preparing them for the local market.

The future of the Cambridge processing plant now hangs in the balance as the community waits for updates in early 2025.