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McCain Foods Makes Investment in Biogas Project
UK - McCain Foods has reported that 10% of its electrical needs will be provided by a new anaerobic lagoon.* "We hope this demonstrates that a large scale manufacturing plant can operate efficiently while significantly reducing its carbon footprint." |
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CEO of McCain Foods, Nick Vermont
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According to FoodProductionDaily, the potato chip manufacturer said that the this initiative, coupled with the three wind turbines it installed at the Whittlesey factory in November 2007, will provide up to 70 per cent of the annual energy requirements required to operate its plant.
The anaerobic lagoon digests the waste water from manufacturing process to produce a biogas, which is then stored and used to produce electricity through a gas burning generator.
McCain said its investment in both projects has meant total annual generation from alternative energy on the site has the potential to reach 32,200MWh - the equivalent to powering over 7,500 domestic houses a year.
The processor claims that the wind turbines have reduced the plant's carbon dioxide emissions by 7,500 tonnes in the past six months and when the plant is not operating unused electricity is sold back to the National Grid.
"We hope this demonstrates that a large scale manufacturing plant can operate efficiently while significantly reducing its carbon footprint," said CEO of McCain Foods, Nick Vermont.
The company said that, at its Scarborough site, it has invested in a heat recovery system that recovers waste heat from the cooking process and uses it to heat water used in the preparation process.
The processor also said that it sources its potatoes as close to the factories as possible and is using solar panels on the refrigeration units of lorries to reduce the amount of fuel used.
Most UK companies are now aware that consumers are increasingly worried about the affect that 'food miles', or the distance products and their ingredients travel before reaching the dinner plate.
Increasing environmental awareness as well as growing individual consumer responsibility for taking care of the earth has led consumers to seek local ingredient sourcing.
View the FoodProductionDaily story by clicking here.
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