Meat&Poultry - October 2011 - 82

Sanitation Tips

Pest patrol
Managing and eliminating pests in foodprocessing facilities is an ongoing process
BY KIMBERLIE CLYMA
kclyma@sosland.com

ests are unavoidable in food processing facilities, but proper monitoring, sanitation and control techniques can help stop pests from causing contamination and possible disease. An effective pest-control program begins with an understanding of potential pests, their feeding habits, where and how they live and various safe and effective methods of controlling and eliminating them. If a pest-control specialist is not hired to control pests in the food plant, then a specific employee should be trained and held responsible for pest-control management. The most common pests in food processing facilities are cockroaches, insects- including fl ies, ants and beetles- rodents and birds.

roach and American cockroach. Cockroaches can be found in any location where food is being processed, stored, prepared or served. They tend to hide in dark, warm, hard-toclean areas. They are a yearround pest, so control should be an ongoing process. Roaches can be controlled by eliminating cardboard boxes where they often live; fi lling and sealing structural cracks and crevices; maintaining sealed, smooth surfaces throughout the plant; and by using pesticides approved for use in food plants.

ing to eliminate insects, but they can also be limiting in food plants. Some methods of pesticide application include crack and crevice treatment, aerosol or fumigant application of nonresidual insecticides and baits (insect attracting systems combined with an insecticide). If there is a particular infestation of a particular insect, a systematic inspection and surveillance of the pests should be established. Monitoring needs to be done to ensure that the pest control method being used is actually effective.

Insects
Flies are the most common insect in foodservice and food processing facilities, especially the house fly and fruit fly. It’s been estimated that a single fly carries more than 3.5 million bacteria. Other insect pests include ants, beetles, moths, silverfish and fi rebrats. To control both house and fruit fl ies, remove and eliminate breeding areas; control garbage storage (outdoor garbage storage should be as far away from entryways as possible); and use electrocution traps. Ants, beetles and moths can survive on very small amounts of food, so good housekeeping and proper storage of food and supplies are essential to help avoid these pests. Pesticides can be effective in help-

Rodents
Rodents, such as rats and mice, are difficult to control because they have highly developed senses of hearing,

Cockroaches
Roaches are the most common pests in food processing plants and foodservice facilities around the world. Controlling them is extremely important because they can transmit diseases and foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio cholerae, and others. The three mostcommon species in the US are the German cockroach, Oriental cock-

82 • Meat&Poultry • October 2011 • www.MeatPoultry.com

http://www.MeatPoultry.com

Meat&Poultry - October 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat&Poultry - October 2011