Press Release  MassDEP Assesses $5,000 in Penalties to Nasoya Foods USA for Continued Odor Violations from its Tofu Manufacturing Plant in Ayer

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) has issued a demand for $5,000 in stipulated penalties to Nasoya Foods USA, LLC in Ayer following multiple noxious odor events that occurred between December 2018 and April 2019. This is the fourth penalty-demand letter MassDEP has issued to the company for causing conditions of air pollution by the release of odorous sulfur compounds from its tofu manufacturing plant located at 1 New England Way.

Under a 2017 consent order with MassDEP, Nasoya Foods USA was assessed a $27,360 penalty for odor violations. The company also had to make improvements to the then-air scrubber system, submit a long-range plan for odor control, and not cause a condition of air pollution when operating. Since then, the company has installed a regenerative thermal oxidizer to control the odorous emissions. However, during this period, MassDEP has received numerous odor complaints that have been subsequently confirmed by the company’s on-call odor consultant or the local board of health. 

“Nasoya has installed the new air pollution control equipment and received the new air permit from MassDEP to operate it,” said Mary Jude Pigsley, director of MassDEP’s Central Regional Office in Worcester. “The company, however, is still on notice through these penalty demands that it must operate the facility without creating a condition of air pollution.”

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