Unilever to close Colman's Mustard factory in Norwich, UK after 160 years of operation

Meanwhile, 25 jobs will be created at a new mustard milling and mint processing plant near Norwich.

Manufacturing of most of the firm's other products is to move to elsewhere in the UK - mainly Burton-upon-Trent, already home to Unilever's Marmite and Bovril brands.

Some other work, involving the packing of dry sauces, will move to an existing factory in Germany, where the sauce mixes are already made.

Unilever said the factory would be closed at the end of 2019, “with a phased transfer of production likely to begin in 2018”.

In a statement, the company said: “We will protect the historic link between Colman's and Norwich by retaining the production and packing of Colman's mustard powder, the historic mustard milling process, and mint processing in a new state-of-the-art facility in the Norwich area, created through a new long-term partnership with a consortium of local farmers, backed by significant investment from Unilever.”

The firm said it recognized the closure announcement would be “difficult news for our Norwich employees, their families, and the whole community in Norwich” and that it was “committed to supporting our employees during this difficult time”.

It added: “We will also offer all employees, whose roles would be affected by the proposals a package of support, including redeployment opportunities at other sites, and services to help people find new employment.”

Trade union Unite, which has a small number of engineering members at Colman's, urged Unilever to reconsider the business case for closure.

Unite national officer Rhys McCarthy said: “It is a devastating day for Norwich that the production of Colman's mustard will cease production in 2019, ending a tradition stretching back two centuries.”

“Our aim during the consultation period will be to retain as many skilled jobs as possible within Unilever and that there should be no compulsory redundancies.”