Essential Pest Control Checklist for Food Businesses

We understand managing a food establishment business is complex and there are various considerations to keep operations smooth and running. From labour concerns, resources, operating costs and down to customer satisfaction, zero-tolerance to pests is critical for these sectors. Rentokil shares the essential pest control checklist for your food business.

The Do’s in Managing Your Food Premise

Engage in a reliable pest control company

Where consumers’ food safety and health are at risk, it is important to engage in a credible, trustworthy and reliable pest control specialist to manage your premise.

Firstly, speed of responsive and quality communication is important where pest infestation can generate quick customer complaints and negative reviews. Secondly, the pest control methods, quality of active ingredients and flytraps and innovative application methods can affect efficacy. Hence, it is crucial to evaluate your pest control provider carefully that will not compromise on effectiveness. Thirdly, they must have sound knowledge and deep understanding in managing a food business. These include operation complexities, regulatory compliance and audit requirements and as well as reporting needs. Fourthly, partnership between both parties is essential. For example, support in providing recommendations to improve the premise condition and providing value added service to optimise the standard of pest control service.

Above all, consider companies that can ease your operations through convenient digital online reporting and use of technology to monitor and detect pest activities.

Check for pest trend analysis and population

Visibility and transparency to pest count and population is essential to gauge if the pest management is working for your premise. Pest infestation signs can be difficult to spot and nocturnal pests are challenging to detect. Hence, you should engage professional pest control help to monitor pest trends and determine if there is a sudden surge or improvement in the population. There are occasions because of environmental or usage factors that contribute a surge, and additional flush out programmes or temporary increase in frequency or treatments are required. However, if the trend shows an isolated incident, then no additional activities are required but to pay more attention to sanitation standards.

Maintain sound facility maintenance and housekeeping

With the vast supplies of food sources ranging from waste, scrapes, sugar, carbohydrate, grease and water, it is a number one priority for businesses to ensure sound facility maintenance and sound housekeeping standards in place. This includes clearing any food debris and remains on the kitchen top and floor, disposing waste regularly, cleaning away grease and oil spills, keeping the premise dry and free from water leaks and storing food ingredients adequately.

Besides looking after the cleanliness, facility maintenance also includes improving the premise conditions. For instance, are there cracks and holes on the structure that allow cross infestation in taking place? As water and moisture are one of the main causes of attracting pests, there is a regular need to check for water leaks and spills in the kitchen particularly. Lastly, check if the manhole is maintained regularly as well, as it is a perfect breeding ground for cockroaches where they favour damp and dark spaces.

Apply adequate barriers and proofing around the compound

Cross infestation is inevitable especially if it is located within a building with connecting tenants or cluster units where plenty of shared and open spaces that allow pests to relocate easily. This is also not forgetting open concept establishments that are exposed to outdoor pest risks and lastly, the roof and false ceiling that is often neglected. Apply sufficient protection barriers around the compound. Pest proof in particularly the entrance leading to the food serving area, between the ceiling and to the internal premise and barrier towards the food preparation corner such as kitchen and storeroom.

Proofing methods include fixing a door mesh filtering to seal the gap between the door edge and floor, a barrier on the roof and ceiling that prevent rodents from falling over, keeping the kitchen door closed at all times to prevent pests from slipping in. Cover and meshes at other possible entries including gully and grease trap helps to prevent pest entries.

Having a sound rat control that builds an adequate line of defence can help keep rat infestation at bay. Rats in Singapore are challenging to eliminate due to their smart nature, resistance to baits and globalisation and hence, sound defence is necessary to block rats out from infesting your food premise. Typically, rat-baiting stations are placed outdoors, indoor within open space and internally where it is identified as a high-risk area or area with active rodent activities.

Educate employees in pest prevention and habits

There are actions and corrective measures that your users and employee can undertake to keep pest infestation under control. Most pest problems result from habits and culture, and there is a need to remind them constantly on the Do’s and Don’ts while operating in a food establishment. Here are some reminders you can educate your employees:

• Close the kitchen door instead of leaving it open for pest to enter
• Avoid throwing food scrap in the sink, floor or drain
• Wipe table tops dry and keep floor free from water and moisture
• Store food and ingredients in well-sealed container and in the refrigerator
• Clear up soiled utensils and cooking tools in the sink and wipe sink clean
• Make sure bins have a lid cover on and secure trash bags before disposing
• Check for signs of pest presence by detecting droppings, urine stains and marks
• Always wipe clean the surfaces and practice hygienic food preparation habits
• Do not move the designated rat baiting units or fly trap unless by professionals

The Don’ts in Adopting For Your Food Business

Procrastinate taking actions on improving structure defects

Procrastination is never a good habit and especially when it comes to health to safety. As pests not only reproduce quickly and in substantial volumes, quick actions are needed to prevent a spread and escalation. Take proactive and swift actions to seal those cracks and crevices, fix any defective or damaged doors, arrange for renovation if necessary if defects are critical and major. Most wear and tear and property degeneration can worsen over time. This can result in more hefty investment in either replacement or major overhaul renovation.

Neglect plumbing and drainage mal-functioning matters

Water and moisture are not just a pest problem, but also a workplace hazard where most slips and falls are resulted from wet and slippery floors. Over time, pipes, drainage and sewers can turn defective this causing leaks and spills but also chokes and blockages that create a malfunction problem. In severe cases, it can cause flood and pipe burst that becomes a more worrying facility challenge. Pests such as cockroaches and rats favour such conditions. They can pass on the pathogens from these surfaces to food preparation items including food, tools, utensils and cutleries. It also generates foul smell that not only puts customers off but also attracts pests over.

Read also: Reasons why you should be worried about fruit flies

Compromise on food safety with DIY and ineffective solutions

DIY solutions on pest prevention are not recommended for commercial sectors. While they may work to some extent in repelling pests, such risks should not be applied on your food business. Most DIY remedies are either ineffective due to the dosage level and application methods, or serve as a deterrent purpose by relocating pests instead of eliminating the root source. When misused, it not affects the efficacy standard, putting employees at risk but also the safety concern among customers. Some of the DIY and off-the-shelf options may cost cheaper. However, the consequence in recovery and rectification may cost much more. This is not just the treatment investment, repairs or product recall, but the financial implication, penalties and brand reputation.

You may also like: Are reflective disc or water bags effective in getting rid of flies?

Control flies population with energy cost savings

Rentokil Initial has designed and innovated cutting-edge technology for optimal pest control of flies that also delivers energy cost savings. It utilises a patented LED technology to attract, trap and encapsulate flies in a hygienic manner. Besides delivering optimal catch rate, it eliminates secondary infestation by encapsulating flies onto the adhesive surface. Depending on the space and coverage needed, it comes in different coverage sizes to suit the front of the house, standard premise area to large and complex compounds like food processing factories. In fact, these modern and sleek fly trap units not only aesthetically enhance the environment. It contains zero mercury content and provides 62% reduction in carbon emissions.

Lumnia comes in vibrant colours to spruce up your environment. Check out the Lumnia Colour Range here.

Critical information for your food establishment

It is beneficial to stay current with critical information that influences the wellbeing of your business. Firstly, be active in screening through social media platforms. Look for any possible viral news, complaints or brand mention on food contamination or spotting pest presence in your premise. Secondly, do check on your business review on negative customer reviews or poor service ratings available to public. For most businesses especially customer fronting nature, consumers rely on customer reviews and comments to help in their decision making. Thirdly, be mindful of any new regulations, including inspections, penalties, demerits or compliance requirements from the government statutory. Fourthly, the price of pest control differs and it is good to seek around on packages and price range. This helps to gauge if your services are value for money, or are basic and under-charge that limits service scope.

Call Rentokil Singapore at (65) 6347 8138 for a pest control solution today.