food industry pest control kitchen
15
Oct

Food Industry Pest Control Measures

Food industry pest control is absolutely vital if you’re running a food related business. Unless you maintain proper hygiene there’s a good chance that your customers could become ill. This may result in fines, loss of business and reputation, or even the closure of your business.

How to implement food industry pest control measures

Here are some of the most important food industry pest control measures. Follow these guidelines to keep your business free of pests and guard your customers against diseases.

1. Inspect your business

Food industry pest control starts with inspecting every inch of your business. Take a look around your premises at least once a week. Focus on the places where pests are most likely to hide. This could be behind and underneath your equipment or in any dark nooks and crannies. Also search in places where staff do not often go. Don’t be lazy when it comes to inspection. You need to look everywhere. Even if you have to move large pieces of equipment.

food business cafe

2. Take preventative action

It’s important to stop pests entering in the first place. Prevention can mean many things. You may have to take steps to improve hygiene or clean more often. The most important thing when it comes to food safety is cleanliness. So keep your business spick and span and never stop cleaning.

You should also take steps to stop pests entering your business in the first place. Seal up any entry point or place where they could come inside. Place bait traps where pests are most likely to hide. For example, rodent traps should be used in all business involved in food. Even if there are no pests present in your business you should take preventative measures.

food serving

It’s also important to keep outside areas clean. Garbage must be kept in sealed bins and removed as often as possible. Lighting up dark areas will also help to deter pests. If there is foliage adjacent to your business this should be trimmed or removed. Also avoid leaving standing pools of water and keep your building in good repair.

3. Store food properly

Food is the reason why pests are attracted to your business in the first place. For this reason all food must be securely stored. This is the primary food industry pest control measure. Make sure that all fridges, pantries and cupboards are properly sealed and well lit. There should be no way for pests to enter them. Food storage areas must be kept clean. Do not get into the habit of dusty shelves and dirty floors!

proper food storage

Also make sure that all food is stored in containers. Boxes and bags of food can easily be penetrated by rodents, beetles and bugs. For this reason, ALL food must be kept in containers. Do not any leave loose food lying about as this will attract pests. Along with this spoiled food should immediately be thrown out. Some pests, like flies, feed primarily on spoiled food. Food stock should be rotated on a first in, first out basis. The longer you store food the more likely that it will be infested by bugs.

The final food industry pest control measure is to routinely carry out pest control. You should bring in an exterminator at least once a month or every six months. This will keep your business free of pests and prevent potential infestations from occurring. Food industry pest control basically amounts to two things: keeping your business clean and keeping pests out. As long as you can tick both of these boxes your business should be fine.