Loblaws to stop selling Parmalat's Beatrice milk made in Sudbury

Grocery chain Loblaws says it will no longer sell milk made in Sudbury, starting July 21.

Loblaws currently sells Parmalat's Beatrice milk, produced in Sudbury, the only milk factory in the city.

The company said in an email it will switch to Neilson, "as part of our ongoing commitment to deliver the best products at the best prices to our customers ... We believe the move to Neilson, the #1 milk brand in Ontario, will allow us to better meet these commitments."

Neilson is produced in southern Ontario.

The Sudbury factory employs between 40 and 50 people. The union representing those workers says it hasn't been told what job cuts may result from the change.

"But the consensus that the company has given me is that it will mostly affect temporary postings that we currently have," WFCW Local 175 representative Matt Belanger said.

Shipping milk all the way from southern Ontario, instead of selling the milk made in the north, goes against Loblaws promotion of "eat local," he said.

"The Loblaw brand is shop local, buy local. In this case, they're discontinuing the only local milk in northern Ontario, right in Sudbury."

For its part, Loblaws said it will "continue to support Ontario farmers, and our customers will still see local dairies on the shelf in many of our stores."