Hy-Vee is shuttering two fresh food production facilities, and moving that food production back to stores, affecting 461 positions at the facilities.

Hy-Vee is “committed to assisting all impacted employees during this transition and is organizing hiring events to place as many employees at Hy-Vee stores as possible to best serve customers,” the West Des Moines-based grocer said in an announcement today.

Operations will end at the facilities on June 24. The change will affect 129 positions at the 48,000-square-foot Short Cuts production facility in Chariton, and 332 positions at the 150,000-square-foot Fresh Commissary in Ankeny.

The production facilities were opened in 2018 to produce grab-and-go items. In Ankeny, workers produce sandwiches, salads, bakery items and take-and-bake pizzas, while in Chariton, workers produce fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

The change was made to “significantly improve product freshness, quality, availability and customer service as more employees will be placed in retail stores,” a company press release said.

Hy-Vee plans to continue ownership of the two production facilities and explore manufacturing of more shelf-stable products or using them for new purposes.