Oxford Frozen Foods wins Eco-Efficiency Award

A 2010 Eco-Efficiency Success Story   

Putting the FREEZE on Inefficiency

Oxford Frozen Foods
Oxford, Nova Scotia

Oxford Frozen Foods is a family-run business founded in 1968 in Oxford, Nova Scotia. Since its inception, the company has set out a plan to make wild blueberries the fruit-of-choice for consumers around the world. Today, Oxford Frozen Foods is an industry leader, with eight manufacturing facilities and two large farming operations within Atlantic Canada and the United States. As one of the world’s largest providers of wild blueberries and other frozen food products, Oxford Frozen Foods has earned a reputation as a quick and dependable supplier of quality products to customers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Oxford Frozen Foods is focused on sustainable growth and production from the field to the factory. This commitment was demonstrated by the company’s participation in the Eco-Efficiency Program for Manufacturers. The Program’s eco-efficiency opportunity assessment identified a number of energy reduction strategies that could be implemented. Natural Resources Canada’s Dollars to $ense Energy Management Workshops also inspired Oxford Frozen Foods to develop an Energy Saving Committee to carry out energy saving initiatives at their factories.

One energy saving strategy Oxford Frozen Foods has successfully implemented is the reclamation of heat from their refrigeration system used to pre-heat boiler feed-water. The cost to implement the system was approximately $200,000 and will result in an estimated annual savings of $99,000, 282,948 litres of fuel and 653 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. To help manage the new refrigeration heat reclaim system, as well as optimize the refrigeration system’s efficiency, the DCS control system was also updated. This update cost approximately $30,000 to implement and will result in estimated savings of $52,000 annually, 788,400 kilowatt-hours and 399 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Other energy initiatives undertaken by the company include: upgrading and replacing old steam traps to reduce leaks; converting refrigeration motors to premium high-efficiency motors; and relocating compressed air intakes outside. Oxford Frozen Foods is also undergoing a significant lighting upgrade which will result in an estimated annual energy savings of over 2,000,000 kilowatt-hours, when complete, and approximately 1,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Adding to their green rapport, Oxford Frozen Foods has various water conservation projects currently underway. Process modifications have reduced water use intensity by 10 to 15 percent. Further upgrades to improve controls and increase condenser concentrations should result in another 5 percent savings.

Oxford Frozen Foods has committed to continuous implementation of green initiatives. This will help the company remain a sustainable member of the Nova Scotia business community for years to come.