Effective Pest Control Program for the Food Industry

As the outside temperature rises, so do the issues with insects and rodents, at beverage and food industry processing facilities. The presence of these unwanted pests can be a severe threat to the health and safety of products, employees, and, most importantly, consumers.

Pest problems can also affect the plant’s position and reputation in the industry. It will also affect the company financially since they have to discard all affected products to avoid fines for noncompliance. Pest control management is a partnership between the service provider and the people at the site.

Front-line staff need to know what they are looking for and the people to report these infestations to. Professionals need to communicate with all the departments involved in this problem for issues like sanitation and the outbreak of pests and rodents. The maintenance department needs to be involved in the fixing of the exclusion point.

That is why whatever the insect or rodent, whatever the problem, excellent communication is very important. Other considerations for control programs include modern technology, general site management, and regulatory elements.

To know more about FIFRA, check out https://environmentallaw.uslegal.com/federal-laws/federal-insecticide-fungicide-and-rodenticide-act.

Audits, rules, and regulations for Food Industry

Pest control services need to know the different rules and regulations related to management programs, as well as the food processing industry. That includes the specifics of compliance by the management company or applicators.

The primary law that regulates the use of pesticides is the FIFRA or the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. It is considered the foundation for a lot of state rules and regulations, requiring the certification for all pesticide applicators, as well as the registration of all the products used in insect and rodent control management.

Some city or state regulations require a specific license for professionals in the food processing industry. Listed below are some of the regulations that relate to the food processing industry and pest management:

FSMA or the Food Safety Modernization Act

Drug Cosmetic and Food Act

The Good Manufacturing Practices

Meat and Poultry Program of the USDA (for companies that are marketing products as a certified organic product)

Meat and Poultry Program of the USDA (for poultry and meat processing facilities)

Aside from these regulations from the federal government, there are also regulations from third-party audits you need to consider. Professionals need to know all the rules and regulations and how they can apply their procedures to these facilities.

Want to know more about FDA’s FSMA? Visit this website.

Specific to this industry, everyone needs to follow the pesticide labels that are being regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency or the EPA for any state or federal regulations that may apply. Lack of effective proofing ranks high in the annual Food and Drug Administration list of top citations every year, even though pest control should be the primary focus of the food industry and the pest control services which apply them.

Food Industry Prevention by Exclusion

To prevent the infestation from happening – which is an essential component of any company’s program – a reliable and effective exclusion program should be in place. These insects and rodents usually enter a plant or facility in three ways: during the shipment, with employees, or from the outside environment.

A lot of these problems arise from the external environment, so if the property or structure can be appropriately sealed from top to bottom, we can make sure the insects or rodents will be kept outside of the facility. To keep these insects and rodents from entering through the shipments, inspecting the goods that are coming in and vetting the vendors is very important.

People receiving the products need to be adequately trained when it comes to performing an effective and proper inspection of arriving shipments like what Conway AR pest control inspection and other similar companies are doing. To prevent the pest problem from entering your facility, experts recommend that you keep the doors and all entry points closed when they are not in use and use proper and effective proofing for all the entrances and exits, as well as the sewers, vents, or windows. Insects and rodents like cockroaches and flies are usually associated with sewers, and these routes can sometimes be overlooked.

Conclusion

Prevention becomes a lot more effective because of the modern technology we are using nowadays. The ability of the professionals to implement the new technology will depend on whether the food industry is willing to collaborate or not. Strong partnerships and proper communication are vital in achieving success in these new technologies and current pest control programs.