Threshold levels of Pests in Food Processing units & Food handling
Dear Team,
I would like to understand the permissible limits of pest individually for the following:
1. Food Processing units
2. Beverage plants
3. Food handling enterprises.
Please help.
Thank You in advance
Dr.PRADEEP
So as a rule really this should be zero, which in your location may be a challenge. However, there are lots of installations that can be put in the facilities to mitigate issues. Air curtains on dock doors (flying insects and birds wont' fly through them) ; self closing doors for rodents and creepy crawlers etc.........inside glue boards with uv lights for flying pests that do get it etc etc
Also, keep the facilities very clean, pests will only stay if they have a food source
If you have to ask you have too many.
All food facilities have biological pests.
The standards requirements state that you monitor and control your pests utilizing a Pest control provider (licensed). Chemical controls must be followed and no poison bait may be inside the food facility.
Acceptable avian levels are 0 ZERO, because of flying poop - Salmonella.
If monitoring indicates there is an increasing of high level of insect pests in a given area there must be evidence of corrective and preventative actions.
Visual monitoring - during GMP inspections and startup (at least daily)
ex. grey drain flies and fruit flies around your mixer indicate that you have a seal problem which maintenance needs to correct.
Trap monitoring - light traps for flying insects - not pointing towards external doors- in warehouse and sometimes in Low risk manufacturing areas.
Pheromone traps - cardboards and dry ingredient storage (Zone 4) - monitoring meal moths and cockroaches.
Rodent pests should be controlled by monitored bait stations outside doors and any other significant runs (including near the office door).
Rodent (and crawling insect pests {cockroaches}) are monitored using "tin cats" enclosed glue boards adjacent to each side of external doors and doors from warehouse to production. (Zone transitions from 5 to 4 and 4 to 3).
Good Luck,