ABSTRACT
Black flies, fruit flies, silverfish, gnats, mosquitoes, meal moths, cockroaches, mice, rats, snakes, birds, and numerous other vermin and insects are just some of the pest control challenges facing the modern quality manager. Each creature may pose a serious risk to the safety of the food, either by direct infestation or through indirect contamination. The Food and Drug Administration deems the risk of contamination from pests to be so important that it has dedicated several sections of 21CFR110 to the current good manufacturing practice in manufacturing, packing, or holding human food part of the Code of Federal Regulations. For example, 21CFR110.20(a) states:
Later, that same section states:
Section 110.35 (c) specifically addresses pest control in a food facility:
Although there are many tomes related to the identification of and specific methods used to control pests, proper plant pest control relies on the establishment of a complete systematic approach through the implementation of monitoring points, monitoring these control points, and the periodic verification of effectiveness. Due to
the importance of this program and the scientific and specific nature of it, an outside pest control provider must be consulted and hired before implementing monitoring points. These contractors provide an understanding of the biology and ecology of the available pests, as well as methods of exclusion and eradication, and are licensed and trained. They should always seek a permanent solution to pest problems rather than a series of temporary solutions; they should use principles of integrated pest prevention and pest control methods that have the least impact on the environment and nontarget organisms. An integrated pest prevention program employs multiple control measures, including sanitation, mechanical control, cultural control, biological control, and chemical control.
