EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) _ An Evansville-based food company that prepares ready-to-eat meals for the military says it is laying off nearly 50 production workers.
 
  AmeriQual president Tim Brauer says the company has seen a substantial drop-off in orders over the past month because of federal budget cuts and reductions in military deployments.
 
  Brauer tells the Evansville Courier & Press that the laid-off employees worked their final shifts on Thursday.
 
  The company had 525 full-time employees at its two Evansville facilities before the layoffs.
 
  AmeriQual also makes meals for humanitarian agencies and commercially packaged items for consumer use.