Roquette, a major French food-ingredients and plant-processing company with deep roots in northern France, is planning to eliminate 310 positions in France while creating 89 new jobs, according to reports by La Voix du Nord and Le Figaro.
The cuts would span the company’s industrial operations as well as support functions and its corporate headquarters. Even with the planned hiring, the net impact would be a loss of 221 jobs if the plan is carried out in full.
Job cuts would hit factories, support functions, and headquarters
The planned reductions cover multiple parts of the business at once. Roquette’s industrial sites would be affected, along with management teams and central services.
The company has not publicly detailed how the cuts would be distributed across its French locations. Its main French site remains Lestrem, in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region.
Lestrem has faced labor tensions before
This is not the first time Roquette has gone through a difficult labor period. In February 2025, employees at the Lestrem plant launched a strike tied to job cuts, heavy workloads, and the absence of pay increases, La Voix du Nord reported.
A northern France heavyweight in plant-based ingredients faces margin pressure
Founded in northern France, Roquette specializes in processing plants into products including starch, plant proteins, and ingredients used in human and animal food, as well as pharmaceuticals. The group is considered one of the major names in France’s food industry and has an international footprint.
The plan comes amid pressure on margins and broader restructuring across the sector. The 310 planned eliminations represent a major move for a company whose historical base in Hauts-de-France is central to its identity. The 89 new roles likely reflect hiring tied to new activities or technology needs, though Roquette has not detailed the positions so far.
