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General Mills' Progresso soup plant in Vineland is possibly closing, the company announced. (Don E. Woods | For NJ.com)

VINELAND -- General Mills filed notice with the state that it is beginning the process of laying off its 338 employees at the city's Progresso Soup facility.

General Mills announced its intent to close the plant in July and came to its final decision in September. The company filed a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) notice Wednesday to lay off 65 employees by March. The remaining employees will continue at the plant until it officially closes this summer.

Warn notices are provided to give workers advanced notice of facility closings and mass layoffs. By law, employers must be provided 60 days of notice before the layoffs go into effect.

According to Vineland Mayor Anthony Fanucci, the city has been in talks with several companies who could potentially move into the site.

"At this current time, my staff and I are diligently working on finding someone to backfill that site," the mayor said. "The folks at GM have been very cooperative and understanding of our situation and doing everything they can to accommodate our requests at this time."

The requests include assistance in finding a new company, Fanucci explained.

General Mills came to the conclusion to close the plant after union negotiations failed to keep the company in Vineland.

Progresso has operated in Vineland since 1942 and General Mills took over in 2001. In a recent advertising campaign, Vineland was highlighted as a manufacturer of Progresso soups.

General Mills had just completed negotiations with UFCW Local 152 in May.

Don E. Woods may be reached at dwoods@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @donewoods1. Find NJ.com on Facebook.