Kraft Heinz to cut 2500 jobs in US, Canada

Kraft Heinz plans to cut 2,500 jobs in the US and Canada as it eliminates duplicative positions following the merger of the two food giants, a company spokesman said Wednesday.

The job cuts will hit just over five percent of the company's workforce.

About 700 of the affected jobs will come from the company's headquarters in Northfield in the midwestern state of Illinois, said spokesman Michael Mullen. Employees who work in sales, marketing and finance are expected to be among the most affected.

"We have developed a new streamlined structure for our organization to simplify, strengthen and leverage the company's scale," Mullen said.  

"This new structure eliminates duplication to enable faster decision-making, increased accountability and accelerated growth."

The job cuts come about six weeks after the merger between Kraft and Heinz closed. The food giant is controlled by the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital, which is known for cutting costs.