Any food business serious about the safety of their daily operation must do everything they reasonably can to prevent pest infestation. After all, pests contaminate food and any food contact surfaces. Not to mention the damage it’ll cause to your restaurant’s reputation when consumers see rats, mice, and cockroaches freely roaming around the premises of your restaurant.
With most pests being carriers of harmful organisms, it’s safe to say that getting regular pest control is a way to guarantee food safety.
Pest Control and Food Safety
The idea of keeping pests away from food processing businesses is a no-brainer given the nature of these voracious and unhygienic critters. To reinforce this notion legally, the Food Standards Code requires food businesses to take all measures to prevent pests from entering the food premises. And if the inevitable happens, food businesses have the legal responsibility to eradicate or remove any pest found hiding within its premises.
Among the common pests that can raid food businesses include insects (e.g. flies, cockroaches, termites, ants), rodents (e.g. rats, mice), and birds (e.g. pigeons). If any of these have found their way into the restaurant, the company will have to tap pest exterminators to get rid of these uninvited guests.
Pests in Food Premises
Generally, pests like the ones mentioned above are attracted to places that provide water, shelter, and food. With food businesses generously offering all three, it wouldn’t take long before rats, roaches, termites, and birds will come raiding the premises.
To be able to initiate an offensive against these invaders, food business owners and managers need to understand where the enemies lie in wait as well as their feeding pattern. For starters, take note that most pests are nocturnal; meaning, they’re mostly active at night and typically hide in dark places.
Among the places where you’ll find pests hiding include:
- Inside wall cavities
- Under food storage containers
- Inside food storage boxes
- Under washing and hand washing facilities
- Behind electrical, cooking, and heating appliances
- Inside unused cooking equipment
Regular Pest Control Benefits Food Businesses
It may seem like a lot of work but exterminating pests is something food business owners need to pay more attention to. The best way to resolve this dilemma, however, is bringing in pest control experts. With their help, restaurants, diners, and food establishments benefit in a number of ways:
Property Protection
Termites may not directly contaminate food being served or prepared but their presence inside a building brings about a different kind of headache. Indeed, termites making a nest inside a restaurant will damage the structure and this could put the entire space at risk of collapsing from within, literally. Needless to say, regular termite inspection and treatment will undoubtedly help food establishments preserve their base of operation.
Business Reputation
In the food service industry, a good reputation is of utmost importance. Remember, word travels fast in this kind of business and a good dining experience guarantees that customers will keep coming back to the restaurant. Leave out professional pest control in the business plan and one may soon discover the food preparation areas crawling with cockroaches, rats, and other disease-carrying vermin. Once customers find these creepy-crawlies anywhere in the premises, the business’ reputation could be ruined in an instant! That or the establishment could be faced with a huge lawsuit or be pressured into closing up shop.
To avoid any of these terrible consequences, including pest control management in the business overheads will be necessary.
Crew and Customer Safety
When a pest infestation gets out of hand, food safety isn’t the only thing the food business compromises. In reality, the company may also be putting its staff in harm’s way. Coming into regular contact with contaminated food and surfaces increases the risk of employees getting sick. And any time the business misses a staff or two, it’s food preparation process will subsequently run at less than 100% efficiency. This will often translate into a slower service and poor dining experience, which can be damaging to the company itself.
Health Inspection
Most restaurant owners tend to get quite nervous around the topic of health inspections and that is for a good reason. During inspections, local health authorities inspect every inch of the food business premises to see any signs of pest infestation. Any pertinent sighting could result in the temporary closure of the restaurant. In the worst-case scenario, the appropriate agencies could even move to shut down the operation for good if it has been assessed that the current pest infestation is extensive and severe.
For any food establishment to prevent these unsavoury outcomes, keeping pest control teams within reach may be critical to their continuing operation.
Integrated Pest Management Intervention
Conventional pest control procedures may be helpful in most situations but tapping the same method with pest infestation in the food processing business comes with a huge risk. It is for this reason that an advanced approach like an integrated pest management (IPM) may be implemented in its stead.
IPM emphasises the use of non-chemical control procedures (e.g. baits and traps) before pest exterminators bring in the proverbial “big guns” (chemical pesticide). Once other management approaches have failed to eradicate the target threats, chemical compounds will then be utilised (in their least volatile formulas) in areas with the highest levels of detected pest activity.
For the most part, the appropriate pest treatment done in food businesses will be a blend of baits, traps, and environmentally safe chemical remedies.
Pest Management Is Crucial to the Food Business
In most cases, failure to put in place adequate pest management measures can negatively impact any food processing businesses. Ignoring the need for professional pest control can lead to significant product loss and regulatory action, which may then turn into a public relations nightmare.
For your restaurant to protect your most valued business asset—your reputation—don’t hesitate to discuss your pest control needs with our expert team today.