Tofu Creates 'Unfortunate Smell' Behind Grafton Mystery Stench

GRAFTON, MA — When a less-than-pleasant odor began to waft into the nostrils of Grafton residents in recent weeks, local residents began to wonder what source could be creating such a stink around town.

Some compared the smell to that of burnt toast, while others characterized the stench as “nasty." Some residents called the police over the stench, while others began searching for dead livestock, hoping to get to the bottom of the problem.

But instead, a manufacturer that recently came to town and turns discarded food into animal feed proved to be the culprit — but not before its tofu had caused local residents to turn up their noses to the whole situation.

Officials from Grafton-based Feedback Earth told reporters Thursday that they were recently made aware that their use of tofu in their production operations was unknowingly creating quite the stir around town and permeating the town's air, making it difficult for some residents to leave their homes, according to reports.

Feedback Earth opened its operations on Creeper Hill Road about a month ago, Boston 10 reported. But it wasn’t until recently when company officials were made aware of the complaints coming from town residents.

"What we found out over the last couple of weeks is that some of our food products smell a little bit more than others, and particularly the tofu was a little smellier than what we were expecting," company CEO Alison Greenlee told the television station.

Feedback Earth takes leftover food from local grocers and other sources and then turns it into animal feed. However, Greenlee told NBC Boston that the soy element in the tofu is behind the undesirable odor that was creeping into the nostrils of local residents.

“That tofu naturally has an odor about it. It’s kind of pungent," Greenlee told reporters on Thursday. "But it’s not rancid, it’s not toxic. It’s just again a natural odor, and so when we started drying it out and saw that moisture was kind of vaporized into the air, that created an unfortunate smell for the community."

Greenlee said Thursday that since discovering the culprit, Feedback Earth has stopped using tofu and has since begun running a deodorizing agent through its machinery to alleviate the problem.

Town officials, meanwhile, are working with the company toward a solution to what has become a smelly situation around Grafton, according to media reports.

“The Town of Grafton is aware of the persistent issues surrounding foul odors in the area of Creeper Hill Road, and throughout the Town,” the town said in a statement Thursday. “The Town Administrator’s Office has been working alongside the Board of Health and Feedback Earth to work towards a solution to the smell.”