Hold your nose: Feedback Earth is testing ways to stop soy stench on Thursday

Some describe the odor that has been floating through North Grafton as akin to vomit. Others describe it as rotting cheese.

It’s the stench of roasting tofu and soy by-products from Feedback Earth, a processing facility at 109 Creeper Hill Road, which creates high-quality animal feed out of food waste.

One type, made from bakery waste, appears to run without unpleasant odor. The soy cycles, however, are the source of far-reaching odors that have raised complaints since early November, bringing scrutiny from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Divisions of Air Quality and Division
of Solid Waste and the Grafton Board of Health.

Feedback Earth will have a trial run on Thursday of several natural deodorizing chemical agents beginning at noon an lasting about two hours, monitored by agents from Mass DEP as well as representatives of the deodorizing system company, according to a press release from Town Administrator Evan Brassard.

“Feedback Earth will have multiple staff around their property, and the entire town, if necessary, to test the efficiency of each de-odorizing method,
the release noted. “If any parties involved notice charring or issues with the process, the trial will be interrupted.”

David Jenicek, chief operating officer for FeedBack Earth, said last month that the odor caught the business by surprise.

“First of all, I can assure you that the odor is natural (albeit pungent) for fresh tofu — and there are no toxic, rancid, or otherwise unsafe chemicals emitted from this material’s drying,” he saiid in November. “However, we absolutely recognize that this community disturbance is completely unacceptable and are taking measures to address this odor comprehensively.”

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