NESTL bosses have announced plans to sell off a major part of their food business, including the famous Rowntree's jelly.

Brands going include Branston Pickle, Crosse & Blackwell, Gales Honey, SunPat peanut butter, and Sarson's vinegars.

A factory in Aylesbury, in Buckinghamshire, will close this year with the loss of 114 jobs. Another two factories, in Hadfield and Middleton, will be sold.

None of the products are made in York, although a knock-on effect is possible.

A Nestl spokeswoman said: "We couldn't say at this stage what the knock-on effects could be."

Rowntree's jelly is one of only a handful of products which still use the brand name of the famous York family, which founded the city's confectionery business.

Nestl will continue to own the brand name, and it will still be used by the new owners, the spokeswoman said.

The company has also announced that it will buy chilled dairy business Northern Foods, which includes the Ski and Munch Bunch brands.

It is part of a restructuring move which identifies the company's key areas as being beverages, confectionery, chilled dairy products, milks and nutrition.

Alastair Sykes, the chairman and chief executive of Nestl UK, said: "The acquisition will strengthen our position in a key category and represents an exciting opportunity for the future. "We will now be entering into a period of consultation with all of those affected and their representatives at the different sites."

Updated: 11:28 Friday, February 01, 2002