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Commercial food establishments must comply with the high standards enforced by
various government agencies, for example, sanitation standards enforced by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and pesticide regulations enforced by the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA). Food-handling establishments are defined as an area or place other than a private
residence in which food is held, processed, prepared, and/or served. (Held includes displayed for
sale as well as stored.) Included are such places as restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores,
cafeterias, school lunchrooms, food-processing plants, food storage areas, etc.
All food processors are subject to the federal Food,Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938
(FD&C Act) and its subsequent amendments. It is a violation of federal law if manufactured food
products contain any objectionable General Pest Management.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completely studying this chapter, you should:
_ Many pesticides cleared by the EPA for use in food handling establishments either are not
permitted for use in USDA-inspected food plants or are permitted but can be applied only under
specific conditions
and preparations. This is a case where the pesticide label does not reflect the only applicable law.
_ To determine what pesticides can be considered for USDA-inspected plants, the pest
management professional must consult the “USDA’s List of Proprietary Substances and Non-
Food Compounds Authorized for Use under USDA Inspection and Grading Programs.”
_ In some cases, a USDA inspector in charge may not permit the use of a pesticide in a plant
even though it may be on the list of proprietary substances. As an example, an inspector may
allow the use of certain types of pesticides only when the plant is in nonproduction status.
_ Where pest problems are serious, the USDA may temporarily waive its restrictions on the use
of certain pesticides and permit their use, but only under USDA direction.
Sanitation is the most important aspect of pest management in food-handling facilities. Food
processing plants are subject to FDA or USDA sanitation inspections, depending on the type of
facility. The pest management professional should be aware of the problem areas that FDA or
USDA inspectors look for. Pest control technicians must conduct a thorough inspection of the
facility and notify the plant manager of potential or existing
problems. This allows steps to be taken to prevent or correct problems before they are detected
by regulatory inspectors or before complaints are received from customers. Some areas to inspect
for real or potential pest problems in food-handling establishments follow.
Exterior areas:
• Pest harborages under objects lying or stored directly
on the ground
• Garbage-handling systems (storage, containers,
cleaning methods, and trash handling)
• Proper drainage
• Weed control (Weeds provide both food and
harborage for insects and rodents.)
• Perimeter rodent control
• Perimeter insect control
• Surrounding environment (any surrounding areas
or buildings conducive to pests)
• Rodent-, insect- and/or bird-proofing
Interior areas:
• Wall and floor maintenance (Are cracks sealed and
floors clean?)
• Ceilings (Do they leak or provide harborage areas?);
suspended ceilings are particularly suspect.
• Elevator shafts
• Floor drains (Are they clean?); cover plates and
catch basins must be removed during inspection.
• Plumbing (Are areas where pipes come through
walls rodent proof?)
• Condensation (Does it provide a breeding area for
flies or other pests?)
• Lighting (Do lights attract insects into the building?)
• Doors (Are they in good repair and shut tightly? Do
personnel observe door-closing policies?)
Storage:
• Proper practices (Is stored material kept 16 to 18
inches away from walls?)
• Proper stock rotation practices (e.g., first in, first
out)
• General housekeeping (Are spilled products
cleaned up?)
• Empty containers
• Segregation of damaged goods
• Refrigeration storage
Section 1: Chapter 4 32 General Pest Management
Food preparation areas:
• Housekeeping around equipment
• Cleanliness of counters and preparation surfaces
• Storage practices (Are food items kept in tightly
sealed containers, etc?)
Lockers and rest rooms:
• General sanitation
• Lockers well organized and not accumulating food
trash
Vending machines:
• Machine cleanliness
• All areas beneath and behind machines
Utility areas:
• Not being used as overflow storage areas
• Out-of-sight corners of floors and ceilings
Non-food areas may include locker rooms, lavatories, machine rooms, boiler rooms,
rubbish rooms and garages. These are areas where food is not normally present, except perhaps
as it is being transported from one area to another. Food areas include any location where food
is stored or processed. Certain restrictions apply to the types of insecticides and treatments that
can
be used in food or non-food areas. Some definitions and general guidelines follow. For more
specific details on whether a product can be used in food or non-food areas, refer to the product
label.
Residual insecticides are those products applied to obtain insecticidal effect lasting
several hours or longer. There are four types of residual applications: general, barrier, spot,
and crack and crevice. Each may be used in
certain areas of food-handling establishments as directed by the product label.
General treatment is application to broad expanses of indoor surfaces such as walls,
floors, and ceilings, or outside treatments. This is permitted only in non-food areas using only
those insecticides so registered.
Spot treatment is application to limited areas on which insects are likely to walk but will
not be in contact with food, utensils, or by workers. Such areas may occur on floors, walls, and
the bases or undersides of equipment. Spot treatments should not exceed 2 square feet. In many
cases, spot treatment is allowed only in non-food areas. Check the label to be certain of the
proper use of spot treatments.
Crack and crevice treatment is the application of small amounts of insecticides into
cracks and crevices in which insects hide or through which they may enter a building. Such
openings commonly occur at expansion joints,
between different elements of construction, and between equipment and floors. The openings
may lead to voids, such as hollow walls, equipment legs and bases, conduits, motor housings, or
junction or switch boxes. The crack and crevice treatment may entail the use of sprays, dusts, or
baits. It can be used in food areas as long as the insecticide is placed into cracks and crevices.
Residual insecticides may be applied when food establishments are in operation unless the label
of the product being used specifically indicates that all operations must be stopped at the time of
application.
However, the use of nonresidual insecticides as contact treatments (which means hitting
the target pest with a wet spray for immediate insecticidal effect) can be done while the
establishment is in operation. Both space treatments and contact treatments are considered
general insecticide
applications. Rodenticides in Food-handling Establishments Rodenticides are usually applied in
attractive food baits or as liquids. Such baits ordinarily require “tamperresistant” containers that
are designed to protect animals
and children as well as to avoid contamination of food (see Chapter 16). When placing bait
stations, special attention is required to protect the containers from damage and from being
stolen or tampered with. Rodenticides may be used outside the facility to intercept rodents before
they gain entry. They may be used inside the facility as long as they do not come in contact with
food.
SUMMARY
An effective pest management program always begins with a thorough inspection of the facility
to identify sanitation problems and to locate pest harborages. The pest control technician must be
aware of the unique needs of
the facility and must set up a treatment program that is consistent with these needs. Facility staff
must be informed of the treatments being applied and advised on all matters of safety and
avoiding contamination. Continual monitoring, record keeping, and follow-up are required to
ensure that the pests are being controlled and that the staff are satisfied with the results.
Whenever possible and practical, less-toxic means of controlling pests,
such as sanitation, baiting, crack and crevice, and spot treatments should be used instead of
general spraying.
Pest Management
In
Max Restaurant
Submitted By: Jesse Steve M. Badillo
1HRM05