London, Ontario - Sun Valley Foods has installed a new wastewater treatment facility that will provide a cleaner, more efficient method of treating wastewater from the chicken processing plant at 10 Cuddy Blvd.

The $1.15 million treatment system will substantially lower the contaminant concentration in the plant wastewater, thereby reducing strain on the municipal wastewater treatment systems.

Recent test results from the City have confirmed the system is doing its job.

"We consider this a real success story. Throughout the various stages of the project, Sun Valley Foods worked closely with the City of London to ensure this new system provided mutual benefit," says Tony van Rossum, Environmental Service Engineer with the City of London.

Sun Valley Foods made the decision to upgrade after the previous wastewater treatment system outgrew its capacity.

"Over time the plant increased capacity, but our treatment facilities were not growing proportionately. With this new world-class system, we will have appropriate capacity and treatment capabilities well into the future. This is a large step forward for us in terms of our commitment to the community and to the environment," says Scott Turner, Director of Engineering for Sun Valley Foods. "We owe a lot to Tony and his team at the City for being on side throughout the implementation process."

The new equipment was supplied by Nijhuis Water Technology Inc., a Dutch company that specializes in wastewater treatment for the food processing industry.

On January 1, 2002, Sun Valley Foods, a division of Cargill Limited, acquired the chicken processing and hatchery business previously operated by Cuddy International Corporation. The acquisition consists of the chicken processing facility at 10 Cuddy Boulevard in London and the chicken hatchery in Jarvis.

Sun Valley Foods processes 80,000 chickens per day and is a major supplier of processed chicken to the Canadian food service industry. Through the company's Jarvis hatchery, Sun Valley produces an average of 150,000 chicks per day. All chickens processed at 10 Cuddy Boulevard originate from the hatchery.

Sun Valley Foods is a division of Cargill Limited, one of Canada's largest agricultural merchandisers and processors with interests in egg, malt, meat, chocolate and oilseed processing, feed, salt, and fertilizer manufacturing, as well as grain handling and merchandizing. Cargill Limited is a past recipient of the Globe and Mail's Best Companies to Work for in Canada.

Scott Turner
Director of Engineering
Sun Valley Foods
Telephone: (519) 453-4996 Ext. 488

Tony van Rossum
Environmental Service Engineer
City of London
Telephone: (519) 661-5701