B.C. veggie food manufacturer fined $285K for Fisheries Act violation
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
Garden Protein International Inc. was convicted of dumping vegetable oil within range of the Fraser River, a body of water protected for its fisheries
RICHMOND, B.C.—On Feb. 19, Garden Protein International Inc. (Gardein), a vegetarian meat processor, pleaded guilty in B.C. Provincial Court to violating the Fisheries Act, for dumping vegetable oil within range of the Fraser River.
This news comes after Environment and Climate Change Canada enforcement officers launched an investigation on Feb. 5, following a report that a deleterious substance (vegetable oil) had been found in a ditch on Gardein’s property, close to the nearby Fraser—a protected water system classified as having a high fisheries value.
Gardein was ordered to pay $285,000 to the federal Environmental Damages Fund. Additionally, the firm was ordered to install further infrastructure at its Richmond, B.C.-based plant to prevent future spills.
The firm’s name will also be added to the Environmental Offenders Registry.
