EPA TRI Facility · Food

Empirical Foods (ssc)

South Sioux City, NE · Parent: Empirical Foods Inc

Total releases
1.1M lbs
Chemicals reported
5
Latest report
2023
Primary pathway
Off-site Transfers

OFFSITE Form-R mix

Empirical Foods (ssc): how the 1.1M lbs splits

1.1M lbs across all reported pathways

  • Off-site Transfers 1.1M lbs 97.0%
  • Air Releases 33.7K lbs 3.0%

Empirical Foods (ssc)'s 1.1M lbs Form-R total is OFFSITE - off-site transfers is 97.0% of the bar. Next segment: air releases at 3.0%. Leading chemical by pounds: Ammonia.

HEAVY volume OFFSITE pathway CLEAN

Empirical Foods (ssc) is an EPA Toxics Release Inventory reporter in South Sioux City, NE, in the food sector. It reported 178.3K lbs of releases across 5 chemicals in 2023, and 1.1M lbs in total across its 2019-2023 reporting years. That ranks 1,217 of 25,986 TRI facilities nationwide by cumulative reported pounds, counting each facility over however many years it has filed. In Nebraska's 183 reporting TRI sites, pounds #1 is not chemical-count #1. Empirical Foods (ssc) is pounds #17 and chemical-count #59 at 1.1M lbs. Tyson Fresh Meats Inc leads reported pounds (11.5M lbs) at 8 chemicals (chemical-count #30). Clean Harbors Environmental Services Inc leads chemical count at 150 chemicals (5.7M lbs, pounds #5). Reported volume fell against 2022. Pounds reported are not a measure of toxicity or health risk. Nearest other TRI reporters: Sioux City Foundry Co; Siouxland Concrete Co; Ingredion; Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. Similar-scale Food peers outside Nebraska: Perdue Agribusiness LLC - Cofield Nc; Tyson Fresh Meats Inc; George's Chicken LLC; Adm Soybean Processing Plant. Largest disclosed chemicals by pounds: Ammonia; Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution); Certain glycol ethers; Peracetic acid.

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Empirical Foods (ssc) stamps HEAVY volume with a dominant OFFSITE pathway (97.0% off-site transfers) across 5 chemicals. Cumulative Form-R extract: 1.1M lbs (2019–2023). All figures are self-reported EPCRA §313 estimates, not measured stack emissions or a health-risk score. Scale peers include Perdue Agribusiness LLC - Cofield Nc and Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.

#1,217 of 25,986 TRI facilities nationwide by total reported releases - among the top 4.7% of reporting sites by volume. Ranking reflects reported pounds, not toxicity or health risk.

Empirical Foods (ssc) vs. every reporting TRI facility

Cumulative reported release pounds, with this facility marked in the national distribution

1.1M lbs Top 5% higher than 95% of 25,986 reporting TRI facilities

This facility 0 lbs 20M+ lbs every reporting TRI facility, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $1M-wide band; taller bars hold more reporting TRI facilities. The dashed line and filled bar mark this facility. Hover, focus, or tap a bar for its full count, share, and position.

Source U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Toxics Release Inventory · 2023 reporting year

Empirical Foods (ssc) inside Dakota's TRI pounds

Among the 1,979 Food facilities in this database, Empirical Foods (ssc) reports the 168th-largest volume, placing it in the top 8.5% of its sector. This one site accounts for 72.6% of every pound reported in Dakota. Its reported volume is concentrated rather than spread: Ammonia alone is 71.8% of the total. Scale peers outside Nebraska include Perdue Agribusiness LLC - Cofield Nc and Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.

County-dominant here means ≥25% of Dakota's reported pounds (1.5M lbs county total). Shares only print when the site reports ≥1,000 lbs.

Annual disclosure change

What changed: EPA TRI 2023 reporting year

2022 → 2023
  • Empirical Foods (ssc)'s total reported releases fell from 250.6 thousand lb in 2022 to 178.3 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Empirical Foods (ssc)'s off-site transfers fell from 242.0 thousand lb in 2022 to 168.8 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.
  • Empirical Foods (ssc)'s air releases rose from 8.6 thousand lb in 2022 to 9.6 thousand lb in 2023, based on EPA TRI filings.

Empirical Foods (ssc) Form-R facts

Sector
Food
HEAVY volume
1.1M lbs
OFFSITE pathway
Off-site Transfers
CLEAN chem count
5
Lead chemical
Ammonia

Compare this facility

See how Empirical Foods (ssc) stacks up against nearby facilities and the typical reporter.

Total reported releases
Empirical Foods (ssc)
1.1M lbs
Sioux City Foundry Co
7 lbs

159845.2× more than the comparison

Chemicals reported
Empirical Foods (ssc)
5
Sioux City Foundry Co
5

About the same as the comparison

Comparison reflects reported pounds and chemical counts, not toxicity or health risk. Averages cover facilities reporting any release.

How does this facility release toxic chemicals?

How Empirical Foods (ssc) releases toxic chemicals into the environment. Total: 1.1M lbs.

Off-site Transfers 1.1M lbs (97.0%)
Air Releases 33.7K lbs (3.0%)
View 5-Year Emissions Trend →

Emissions Trend Summary

From 2019 to 2023, total releases decreased by 5% (187.5K lbs to 178.3K lbs).

Empirical Foods (ssc): annual Form-R pounds

HEAVY site · OFFSITE pathway · TRI years 2019–2023

million lbs

What this shows Empirical Foods (ssc) year-over-year reported totals (decreased by 5% from 2019 to 2023). TRI figures are self-reported estimates and can swing with production, waste handling, and reporting changes, not only with controls. Lead chemical in the extract: Ammonia.

Source EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI)
Year Total Chemicals
2019 187.5K lbs 4
2020 213.6K lbs 4
2021 290.5K lbs 4
2022 250.6K lbs 5
2023 178.3K lbs 5

Chemical Releases

Aggregated across all reporting years (2019–2023). Sorted by total release volume.

Chemical Total Flags
Ammonia 804.5K lbs -
Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution) 303.9K lbs -
Certain glycol ethers 9.0K lbs -
Peracetic acid 3.0K lbs -
Nitric acid 45 lbs -

Empirical Foods (ssc) · OFFSITE-pathway site

South Sioux City, NE
42.4850, -96.4130
County TRI context
Dakota · 72.6% of county pounds
Parent company
Empirical Foods Inc

Compare beyond Nebraska

Nationwide peers by reported pounds & chemical count

Cross-state TRI reporters nearest Empirical Foods (ssc) on cumulative reported pounds (1.1M lbs) and distinct chemical count (5). Release-pound peers include Ball Container LLC - Rome Can Plant, Toledo Refining Co LLC, Essity Professional Hygiene Na Barton Operations. Chemical-count peers include Abbvie Ltd, Lilly del Caribe Inc Carolin A, Baxter Healthcare of Puerto Rico LLC. Neighborhoods are forced disjoint so each axis surfaces a different set of sites.

About TRI Data

Data as of 2023 reporting year. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxic Release Inventory.

On this page the largest disclosed chemicals include Ammonia, Nitrate compounds (water dissociable; reportable only when in aqueous solution), Certain glycol ethers, Peracetic acid; nearby reporters include Sioux City Foundry Co. Empirical Foods (ssc) stamps HEAVY volume · OFFSITE pathway · CLEAN carcinogen-lbs on this Form-R extract. Totals are self-reported estimates under EPCRA §313, not measured stack emissions or a health-risk score.

Use and verify this record

This Empirical Foods (ssc) TRI extract (HEAVY · OFFSITE · CLEAN · lead Ammonia) joins EPA Form-R filings with facility identity - reported pounds, not a health-risk rating.

Empirical Foods (ssc) totals are self-reported EPCRA §313 estimates for South Sioux City, NE, latest year 2023. Form-R rows span 2019–2023 (5 years). NAICS 311612 · Food. 72.6% of Dakota TRI pounds in this extract. Nearest ABS peer: Ball Container LLC - Rome Can Plant (Δ 328 lbs). Pounds ≠ exposure.

Empirical Foods (ssc) stamps HEAVY volume · OFFSITE pathway · CLEAN · lead Ammonia. PlainEnviro renders this EPA Form-R extract from its pipeline; no figure is typed in by an editor. Corrections: editorial policy.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • EPA Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Basic Data Files - annual self-reported chemical-release filings. epa.gov
  • EPA TRI Program reference - how chemicals and reported releases are counted. epa.gov
  • EPA Facility Registry Service - facility location and identity. epa.gov
  • EPA ECHO - regulatory and compliance context. epa.gov
  • EPA Envirofacts - the EPA data warehouse exposing these datasets. epa.gov