Lawsuit Claims Animal Feed Plant Polluting Mount Prospect

CHICAGO — A new lawsuit against a Mount Prospect animal feed manufacturing plant claims the company is allowing excessive odors and causing air and noise pollution. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Friday his office is suing Prestige Feed Products LLC following 1,000 separate complaints from nearly 150 residents living near the plant on Lakeview Court since 2023.

"Residents in the community surrounding Prestige should be able to enjoy their lives and homes without having to endure the foul odors coming from the company’s operations," Raoul said.

Prestige Feed Products incorporated in 2018 and "is a new and innovative feed company with well-established roots in the industry," according to its website. The company specializes in making feed for swine, cattle, and pet food markets.

"The company needs to address these odor issues and ensure that its operations comply with Illinois' environmental laws," Raoul said. "I will continue to protect all Illinois communities and hold companies accountable when violations of our environmental laws occur."

According to Raoul’s lawsuit, many of the complaints list a pungent, overpowering stench of burnt cheese emanating from the plant. Prestige's facility uses equipment and machinery to dehydrate raw soy and cheese-based materials into animal feed ingredients.

In addition, several of the complainants living near the facility express being forced to keep windows in their homes closed due to the nauseating odors and being unable to enjoy outdoor activities. Raoul said the odors are also affecting nearby schools, as a day care and preschool facility was forced to keep children indoors on days when the odors from the facility were present.

In July 2023 and November 2024, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency inspected the site and noted burnt-cheese odors in numerous areas around and off-site of the facility while the facility was operating. The IEPA received an odor assessment report from an environmental consulting firm hired by Prestige that identified high levels of butyric acid at all nine sampled sites. Butyric acid is known by the National Institutes of Health to have a penetrating, rancid and putrid odor. Raoul's lawsuit is based on a referral from the IEPA.