Latest news with #SofinaFoods
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Finnebrogue sold to Canadian owned Sofina Foods
Downpatrick food manufacturer Finnebrogue has been sold to one of the largest Canadian owned food companies Sofina was set up by the Lynn family in 1991 and currently employs about 1,200 people across four facilities in County produces meat products like sausages, bacon and ham, as well as plant-based Finnebrogue Christine Lynn started the company with her late husband Denis. She said: "With Denis's vision and innovation, the business grew into one of the leading food companies in Northern Ireland.""In May 2021, my husband tragically died; from then on I have had the support and backing of the leadership team which Denis created, and I am so proud that Finnebrogue has continued to prosper and grow."But the time has now come for me to hand over the baton, and to do so to Sofina who I know will uphold Denis's legacy and take Finnebrogue on to its next chapter."Sofina Foods and its subsidiaries have over 14,000 employees in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany and Sofina Foods Michael Latifi said: "This acquisition will allow Sofina Foods to continue our journey of ambitious expansion.""Both Sofina Foods and Finnebrogue share a common culture of excellence, discipline and integrity and I look forward to building on the strengths of both companies," he added.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sofina Foods Inc. to pay $330K penalty toward safety program after Edmonton worker's death
An Ontario-based multinational food company was "significantly negligent" in safety failures that led to the death of an Edmonton worker, a judge says. Justice Michèle Collinson sentenced Sofina Foods Inc. on Thursday in Edmonton Court of Justice after the company pleaded guilty to one Occupational Health and Safety Act charge in the March 2023 death of Samir Subedi. Subedi, 32, died after a coworker found him unresponsive during his shift as a superintendent at Sofina's south Edmonton food processing plant. Collinson said Subedi's death was easily preventable, with workplace risks created by the company's "incompetence, inattention, or a combination of both." After going into a smokehouse to monitor some meat products drying inside, Subedi got trapped as temperatures rose to 92 C. An emergency handle to open the smokehouse doors from the inside had broken off, and despite maintenance requests that went back to May 2022, it hadn't been replaced — in violation of both provincial worker safety standards and Sofina's own policies. Instead, a makeshift door stopper was installed that could only be activated from the outside. There's no evidence that Subedi, who'd been at Sofina for about 11 months, had been trained on how to use either the emergency handle or the doorstopper. "It was not difficult to see that there was a risk of an accident in the smokehouse … given the lack of safeguards and training," Collinson said. "The fact there had been no incident prior is more an operation of luck than anything else." The judge accepted a proposal for a creative sentencing order that sees the company pay a $330,000 penalty, which will go toward funding a food worker safety training program run by the Alberta Food Processors Association. The training will be tailored to address the increased dangers of confined spaces such as smokehouses to help prevent similar deaths in the future. Collinson noted that before the company was charged last year, they had already made voluntary "direct reparations" to ensure Subedi's wife and children could cover the cost of their mortgage. She said Sofina has expressed genuine remorse. Since Subedi's death, the company has added new warning labels to smokehouses telling employees not to enter while they're running, and to check for the presence of the inner emergency handle — if it's missing or broken, they're instructed not to go inside at all. Collinson called the level of workplace deaths in Alberta "unacceptably high." She addressed part of her decision directly to Subedi's family. "Your loss and the grief causes pain and suffering, and the reality is that the process in court does very little to alleviate that. Some things just cannot be fixed; they can only be carried," she said. "We don't send our loved ones off to work thinking that this is the last time that we're going to see them." The remaining 25 OHS charges laid against Sofina Foods Inc. were withdrawn.
CBC
20-06-2025
- CBC
Sofina Foods Inc. to pay $330K penalty toward safety program after Edmonton worker's death
Social Sharing An Ontario-based multinational food company was "significantly negligent" in safety failures that led to the death of an Edmonton worker, a judge says. Justice Michèle Collinson sentenced Sofina Foods Inc. on Thursday in Edmonton Court of Justice after the company pleaded guilty to one Occupational Health and Safety Act charge in the March 2023 death of Samir Subedi. Subedi, 32, died after a coworker found him unresponsive during his shift as a superintendent at Sofina's south Edmonton food processing plant. Collinson said Subedi's death was easily preventable, with workplace risks created by the company's "incompetence, inattention, or a combination of both." After going into a smokehouse to monitor some meat products drying inside, Subedi got trapped as temperatures rose to 92 C. An emergency handle to open the smokehouse doors from the inside had broken off, and despite maintenance requests that went back to May 2022, it hadn't been replaced — in violation of both provincial worker safety standards and Sofina's own policies. Instead, a makeshift door stopper was installed that could only be activated from the outside. There's no evidence that Subedi, who'd been at Sofina for about 11 months, had been trained on how to use either the emergency handle or the doorstopper. "It was not difficult to see that there was a risk of an accident in the smokehouse … given the lack of safeguards and training," Collinson said. "The fact there had been no incident prior is more an operation of luck than anything else." The judge accepted a proposal for a creative sentencing order that sees the company pay a $330,000 penalty, which will go toward funding a food worker safety training program run by the Alberta Food Processors Association. The training will be tailored to address the increased dangers of confined spaces such as smokehouses to help prevent similar deaths in the future. Collinson noted that before the company was charged last year, they had already made voluntary "direct reparations" to ensure Subedi's wife and children could cover the cost of their mortgage. She said Sofina has expressed genuine remorse. Since Subedi's death, the company has added new warning labels to smokehouses telling employees not to enter while they're running, and to check for the presence of the inner emergency handle — if it's missing or broken, they're instructed not to go inside at all. Collinson called the level of workplace deaths in Alberta "unacceptably high." She addressed part of her decision directly to Subedi's family. "Your loss and the grief causes pain and suffering, and the reality is that the process in court does very little to alleviate that. Some things just cannot be fixed; they can only be carried," she said. "We don't send our loved ones off to work thinking that this is the last time that we're going to see them." The remaining 25 OHS charges laid against Sofina Foods Inc. were withdrawn.
Toronto Sun
19-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Company to pay $330Gs after Edmonton worker trapped in smokehouse, dies in 92 C heat
Published Jun 19, 2025 • Last updated 12 minutes ago • 3 minute read Sofina Foods plant, 9620 56 Ave., in Edmonton Thursday June 13, 2024. Photo by David Bloom EDMONTON — A commercial food processing company has been ordered to pay $330,000 after one of its workers became trapped in an Edmonton smokehouse and died. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Ontario-based Sofina Foods Inc. was directed by a judge Thursday to put the money toward a workplace training program after a joint submission from the Crown prosecution and the company. Justice Michele Collinson told court it needed to be a significant penalty to match the gravity of what happened, but said, 'there is no amount of money, or any sentence, that can make up for the loss of life.' 'We don't send our loved ones off to work thinking that this is the last time that we're going to see them,' she said. The decision comes a day after Sofina pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the safety of Subedi at work. The remaining 25 other workplace safety charges against the company were withdrawn. Subedi, who had a master's degree in science, had gone to check the temperature of the gas-fired smokehouse, which had been loaded the night before with meat. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But an emergency handle inside the unit was broken. A makeshift door stopper on the outside had recently been installed, but had to be activated from the outside before entry. A co-worker found Subedi unresponsive on the floor inside the doors of the smokehouse after the temperature reading from a meat probe had soared to 92 C. Subedi later died in hospital of thermal burns and heat exposure. Collinson noted there were mitigating factors in her decision, including the company paying the mortgage for the victim's family and extending their health and dental coverage. Including other benefits, court heard Sofina spent $500,000, not accounting for taxes, to help the family. The support came before charges were laid as the result of an investigation under Alberta's workplace safety laws. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Collinson said Sofina's early guilty plea also demonstrated remorse, along with its efforts to quickly resolve safety risks like the emergency door handle on the smokehouse. But, she said, the incident was easily preventable, and led to an immeasurable loss to Subedi's family, friends, and community. 'The loss has ended not just his dreams, but the dreams of his wife, and his brother who had come to Canada from Nepal in hopes of a better life.' A victim impact statement from Subedi's widow, Bhumika Bhattarai, spoke of trauma's toll on her family. Pregnant at the time of Subedi's death, now mother of a two-year-old and a three-year-old, Bhattarai said her children keep asking: 'Where is Daddy?' 'I burst into tears whenever I think of him,' she said in the statement, which was read in court by the Crown prosecutor Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. An agreed statement of facts from the Crown and Sofina Foods said the company had comprehensive safety protocols but failed to follow through, including by providing proper training for operating the smokehouse door. The inside emergency handle had been repeatedly sheared off by meat carts moving in and out, but Subedi had not been properly trained on how to use the door stopper that had been installed as a backstop. Several company executives traveled from Ontario to attend court in Edmonton. The funding for workplace safety training ordered by the court is to be managed by the Alberta Food Processors Association and tailored to the sector. After Subedi's death, Sofina also installed a memorial bench in his honour at its Edmonton facility. MMA NHL Canada Toronto & GTA World
CTV News
19-06-2025
- CTV News
Food processor guilty in Edmonton worker's death
Edmonton Watch Sofina Foods pleaded guilty in the death of an Edmonton worker who became trapped inside a smokehouse in March 2023.
