New Brunswick Department of Environment and Local : Air quality approval renewed for McCain Foods Ltd.

FREDERICTON (GNB) - The provincial government will issue a new Class 1 air quality approval for McCain Foods Ltd. in Florenceville-Bristol.

The company's current approval expires on Feb. 29 with the new one taking effect on March 1. This follows a public consultation process that included a public review that ran between Aug. 25, 2015 and Dec. 29, 2015.

The information, along with approval conditions, can be viewed on the Department of Environment and Local Government website or at any regional office of the department.

At McCain's frozen french fry plant, raw potatoes are received and sorted upon arrival. They are steam-peeled in pressure vessels, inspected, cut into french fry strips, blanched, dried, fried, frozen and packaged, then stored in a cold storage warehouse before being shipped to the customer.

There are exhaust units in the plant that allow the release of steam. The exhaust from the fryers is scrubbed with recycled water before being released. Flue gas is released from the stacks of two boilers fuelled by a combination of natural gas, No. 2 fuel oil, and biogas. These boilers are used to produce process-related steam and for space heating.

The prepared foods plant on the same site prepares pizza pockets and cakes or pies. In general, the plant consists of mixers, ovens, freezer tunnels, and packaging equipment.

Class 1 major industries are required to comply with the Air Quality Regulation under the Clean Air Act, and to operate under the terms and conditions established in the approval to operate.

28-01-16