US Foods is shuttering a plant in southern Minnesota, although the company is staying mum on how many employees will be affected.

A spokesperson from Rosemont, Illinois-based US Foods said in an e-mailed statement that the company is “merging” its Fairmont distribution center with its other operations as part of an “ongoing effort to maximize operating efficiencies and better serve customers.” The spokesperson did not, however, respond to a question about how many workers are affected by the Fairmont plant closure.

“The US Foods Fairmont Division has notified all impacted employees and is committed to helping them transition to new employment,” according to the e-mailed statement. “Severance benefits will be available to qualifying employees who do not find employment opportunities within the company.”

US Foods bills itself as “one of America’s leading foodservice distributors to restaurants, health care, and hospitality facilities, government operations, and educational institutions.” On its website, the company says that it “proudly employs about 25,000 associates in more than 60 locations.”

In addition to the Fairmont facility, the company has Minnesota operations in Plymouth and St. Paul, according to its website.

Company employees told the Fairmont Sentinel that the Fairmont plant, which US Foods acquired from Hawkeye Foods in 2012, is closing its doors on January 31. The plant’s origins in the community reportedly date back to the 1940s.

“These are jobs that have been in the community a long time, and it's going to hurt,” Mike Humpal, Fairmont’s economic development director and city administrator, told the Fairmont Sentinel.