04 Dec Top Tips to Prevent Pest Infestations at Your Food Manufacturing Facility

There are three main types of hazards or contaminants that can cause unsafe food: Biological, chemical, and physical. Biological includes microorganisms; chemical includes cleaning solvents and pest control; and physical means hair, dirt, or other matter. Of all of these contaminants, many food manufacturing facilities find pest control to be the most difficult. However, there are a number of ways to reduce the chance for a pest infestation each and every day. Here are just a few ideas:

Perform Frequent Visual Inspections

First, many people underestimate the effectiveness of simple and frequent visual inspections in various food manufacturing areas. While not all types of pest infestation are visible immediately, you never know when you might be able to catch an infestation before it spreads and becomes more serious. Specifically, check on the products that may not be sealed fully.

“Stored product pests are also a concern for facilities with dry storage. Weevils, beetles, and moths can infiltrate bagged meal and powdered food product. Once introduced to the facility, they can spread to other susceptible product as fertilized females seek out new breeding sites. Consistent monitoring of these storage areas is crucial for detecting these pest issues,” says Food Safety Magazine.

Enforce Strict Cleaning Regimen

This is important for any manufacturing facility, but it’s especially essential for facilities working with food. Coming up with and adhering to a strict cleaning procedure is one of the biggest steps you can take to reduce the risk of infestations. In addition to cleaning frequently, you’ll also have to clean effectively, and in many food processing plants, dry ice cleaning services provide the best results. Dry ice blasting uses air compressed between 80 and 90 PSI to blast pellets of dry ice at a high velocity to clean a variety of surfaces, making it ideal for complex machinery that would take exponentially longer to clean with traditional methods. Furthermore, dry ice blasting is 100% ecologically safe, so no toxins are involved.

Ultimately, these tips can help you maintain a sanitary food processing facility. For more information about dry ice cleaning services, contact Mammoth Dry Ice.