The food processing industry is dogged by the problem of disposing wastewater heavy in organic matter. Anaerobic digestion using a series of ponds to hold the water over a period of time is inefficient and odorous. Current innovations using starch waste in anaerobic digestion and fermentation technologies have made wastewater treatment more effective. An added advantage is the additional energy in the form of biogas and the byproduct of the process, the effluent slurry, is a natural fertilizer. Oil mills, alcohol distilleries, flour mills, fruit and vegetable canning units, starch extraction plants and paper mills are potential beneficiaries of these technologies which translate into considerable savings on energy bills and safe disposal of wastewater.