JACKSON, Tenn. (CNN) - Procter & Gamble says tornado damage to its Pringles distribution plant in Jackson had halted shipping of the curved snack chips to stores in North America.

A spokesman for P&G said there's no power at the plant and the structure's roof was damaged by the storm's high winds.

The company's main concern is for the safety of its employees, the spokesman said, and company officials currently are assessing damage at the plant.

There's no word on how long the factory will be shut down. Pringles are distributed only through the plant in Tennessee.

The curved, uniform chip was introduced in 1968 in a cylindrical tube with a red wrapper. Its name came from a street -- Pringle Avenue -- in the Cincinnati suburb of Finneytown, Ohio.