By Cliff Peale
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Procter & Gamble Co. resumed making Pringles and Torengos at its Jackson, Tenn., plant late Monday night, one week after it was damaged by a tornado.

P&G said orders would resume Thursday, with shipping starting next week. The plant is the only Pringles plant in North America. P&G also operates one in Belgium.

"Getting production up and running on this short timing is a heroic feat that would not have been possible without the spirit and dedication of our P&G people," said Jamie Egasti, vice president of North American snacks for P&G.

P&G had said that the closure could hit sales growth for the current quarter by up to 1 percent but that it would not materially affect profits. It would not disclose capacity at the plant, but said consumers globally eat 275 million Pringles every day.

P&G said it would start production with the most popular flavors: original, sour cream and onion, and reduced fat original.

About 200 workers were in the plant when the tornado hit. No P&G employees were seriously injured.

P&G said it is making emergency loans to employees and taking measures to help residents of Jackson rebuild. It has donated $100,000 to the American Red Cross, and already has sent truckloads of P&G products to the area.

E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com