Pest management is critical in keeping food processing facilities safe and pest-free

The preventative emphasis of FSMA extends to pest management and its role as part of a strong food safety program.

Caption: One of the most common tools used during the macro level of pest inspection is a flashlight. Photo courtesy of McCloud Services.
Caption: One of the most common tools used during the macro level of pest inspection is a flashlight. Photo courtesy of McCloud Services.

When it comes to pest control inside a food processing facility, one might automatically think of the actual production lines—bugs nesting inside the equipment or crawling on the floor. However, managing pests is more about preventing the entry ways in which these critters can enter, so they can’t make it to the production floor.

“When we talk pest prevention, we must look at the routes of pest entry to stop pests before they make it to the food production areas,” says Patricia Hottel, technical director for McCloud Services. “Inspection and monitoring must be conducted on the interior and exterior perimeters of the facility to prevent pests. Many of the pests impacting our food facilities are coming from the exterior perimeter. This includes stored product pests like warehouse beetles, Indianmeal moths, rodents and filth flies.”

Pest management inspections rely heavily on the ability to see the pests, their activity and the conditions favorable to pests.

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