A processing facility has reached a nearly $1 million settlement with neighbors who filed a class-action lawsuit to formally complain about the smells and noises coming from the factory.

Prestige Feed Products, which opened in Mount Prospect, Illinois in 2019, uses a process that involves dehydrating raw cheese and soy to make ingredients for animal feed, according to the Daily Herald. One of the company’s products is known as “Cheese Supreme,” which doesn’t sound so bad if you’re talking about a pizza, but much less appetizing when it’s livestock fodder.

Nearby residents, businesses and schools said Prestige emitted a “burned cheese” smell, which one plaintiff said made it nearly impossible to enjoy walks, sitting outside or having the windows open. Neighbors also said the facility’s loud industrial fans made it difficult to sleep at night.

After hundreds of complaints since 2021, Prestige finally settled with nearby municipalities and shut down last year. And now it has reached a deal with local residents. But the company is still facing a separate lawsuit from the state of Illinois and that one could go to trial.

Mary Beth Stillmaker, a plaintiff in the class-action suit, told the publication, “The main thing is that they're gone. A lot of us believe that if we didn't file this class-action lawsuit, they would still be operating and we would all still be suffering.”

Prestige Feed Products was incorporated in 2018 and is based in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. The company said it makes products for the swine, cattle and pet food markets. It currently carries a two-star rating on Google Reviews, with many reviews saying the company is “evil and detestable” and the facility “smells like dog crap.”

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