ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Rochester factory that produces fermented dairy products was fined $28,000 for dumping waste from northwest Rochester into wetlands. The dumping, by Kerry Biofunctional Ingredients, occurred over three years beginning in 2018, the state Pollution Control Agency said. The company had no permit for the dumping, the agency said. The wetlands are part of the Cascade drainage that flows into Cascade Lake, where the city has public swimming facilities. Eventually the creek flows into the Zumbro River, which empties into the Mississippi River at Kellogg. In 2020, also, Kerry was fined $11,000 for violating state air quality requirements.
Kerry Biofunctional Ingredients. Rochester plant at 2402 7th Street Northwest.
Kerry profile
The Kerry Group is a global food ingredients manufacturer based in Ireland. Revenues are $2.8 billion a year. In June its consumer foods, meat and meals business was acquired by Colorado-based Pilgrims Pride. The Kerry plant in Rochester manufactures fermented food ingredients. These include lactic acid bacteria for processed meat and cultured dairy products, cultured ingredients for extending a product’s shelf-life, and cultural dairy solids for stabilizing ice cream as well as improving “mouth feel.” With state industrial support funds in 2018, Kerry spent $26.8 million to expand the plant by 5,300 square feet.