Pests get attracted to food! Therefore, the food industry is a vulnerable segment needs to invest in effective pest control to maintain food safety! Pests carry a wide range ailment causing viruses, bacteria and multiple other organisms. They are a potential threat to the staff involved in managing and processing food for the customers.
To know the relevance of pest control management in the food domain, it is essential to know the kind of pests and threats in the food industry. It is also necessary to understand the measures that are essential to implement.
The types of pest dangerous for the food industry
The kind of pests differs according to climate, geography, and the food elements processed. But some of the pests which get commonly found across the food industry are beetles, rodents, moths, flies, and cockroaches. Hence, pest control management in the food industry demands an accurate identification of the species for undertaking the relevant treatment process leading to accurate results. To know more about effective pest control, you can check out Elite Pest & Termite Control.
Why is pest control essential for the food industry?
Pests pose significant threats in the food industry. Some include:
- Spreading of ailments through pathogen transfer
- Closure and prosecution
- Equipment and property damage
- Loss of credit and bad reputation
- Food contamination
How can pest control management help?
An effective pest control management concentrates on keeping the pests away from the food facility instead of eliminating them once they affect the facility. The process includes:
- Inspection –The first step to secure your facility is to opt-in for an assessment. The places to check are the ones where there is packaged and raw food. For example, you can check the spaces prone to spills, employee break room, and the receiving docks. Other than this, it is essential to inspect all the entry and exit points as well. A weekly inspection is an excellent way to go about it. Does your food factory have a record of pest infestation? If yes, then you need to determine the inspection frequency depending on your requirement.
- Preventive action – The step includes structural maintenance of the food facility, which is one of the best ways to prevent pests from entering your premises. Here it is necessary to seal off the identified potential entry points after the inspection. Sanitation is an essential and preventive step that adds value to your pest control initiatives. It would help if you kept all the storage and production areas clean. You need to keep track of the pest-conducive regions and implement apt control measures here.
One of the most crucial things to consider when selecting an integrated pest control management solution for your food facility is that the solution should get customized! The solution should be tailor-made to cater to the kind of infestation, nature of the business, and the facility environment. It will make sure that you get the best outcome from the pest control solution. Also, it would help if you chose a service provider that has experience and expertise in the same.
