Most people probably think of pest control services as just getting rid of bugs or rodents. It’s necessary, I guess, but not essential. That’s where you’d be wrong!
Food processing plants, food distribution centers, warehouses, restaurants – even as far back as the growers – all need to be pest free to maintain the safety of the food we eat. Try making your cake with flour that has bugs in it. Or reaching in for a grape and coming out with a spider! There are some that will tell you some bugs are high in protein and would be good alternatives to meat, but unless you’re choosing to do that, no. You don’t want bugs in your food.
The role of pest control in our nation’s food supply:
- Customer Safety. Pests are notorious transmitters of food-borne pathogens like Salmonella, E coli, etc. By ensuring Pest Prevention Prerequisite programs are in place in food processing plants’ Food Safety Plans, companies are ensuring their food products won’t threaten their customers’ health and safety. In addition, restaurants making sure cockroaches, rodents, and flies are kept at bay are doing the same. Comprehensive pest control programs are a simple way to do that.
- Quality Control. Pests can truly destroy food products. Food processing plants, warehouses, and food distribution facilities need to make sure their products are free from pests for many reasons. If customers see evidence of pest presence, that will quickly get shared through social media and other channels – not to mention lose contracts. This can seriously put a dent in a company’s bottom line (see #5!) and destroy a company’s reputation… which brings us to #3!
- Brand Protection. There are brands (we won’t name names, but recently a deli meat company was severely affected, and, in the past, a famous peanut butter company was run through the mud because of pest issues) that have been destroyed because of the presence of pests in their food. A review of a restaurant that includes the word cockroach or rat can be a death blow. Coming back from that type of a reputational issue, when it comes to pest activity, is difficult and, frankly, not always doable.
- Full Compliance. Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (2011), an amendment to the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (1938), food processing, distribution, transport, and storage companies are liable to ensure that their facilities operate in a manner that prevent food adulteration – which means they have to make sure the quality of their food is up to the law’s standards. And pest presence is a form of contamination and adulteration. Facilities can have their registrations pulled because of pest activity – and rightfully so.
- Profit Loss. Let’s face it, we’re all rules by the mighty dollar. So, of course bottom line is important to companies. The good news is that the public can severely affect the bottom line of any company that isn’t producing quality products. It’s one of the only real, tangible things that will keep big businesses in check. Because of that, companies are more apt to keep up with their pest control services. Proactive pest control costs way less than dealing with actual pest activity. So, again, thinking of the bottom line, companies are more likely to have that pest control process in place that try to retroactively deal with pest issues or work to keep the pests out in the first place. One sighting by a customer or in the supply line can cost a business contracts… several… quickly… not to mention customers. And often by the time a serious problem gets addressed, the cost of mitigating pests can be 5+ times the cost of a robust Pest Prevention Prerequisite programs.
Pest control is an essential part of our public health and safety and clearly a main component of keeping our food supply safe for consumption. So, the next time you see a pest control technician – thank him or her. They’re probably keeping your coffee, chocolate, flour, grains, fruits, vegetables and so much more safe for you and your family to consume.
