If pests are found in your food business, they will likely head straight for and contaminate the food. Should they be discovered following a complaint or during a food safety inspection, your business could be closed and subjected to a ‘Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice’, which will cost the business both financially and possibly damage your brand.

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When you own a food business, it is the owner’s responsibility to have effective arrangements in place to stop pests from entering the premises. Three main groups of pests encountered in the food business are:

Rats and mice – rodents

Flies, beetles, cockroaches and ants – insects

Pigeons and gulls – birds

Current rules stipulate that food businesses should ensure they have enough space and storage capacity to allow for the practice of exemplary food hygiene, to include provisions to prevent external contamination such as that derived from pests.

The law also states that effective procedures are set up to reduce the ongoing risks from pest control. Building a regular contract with a pest control company is a good idea. For Pest Control Harlow, visit a site like https://www.bpcpestcontrol.co.uk/pest-control-essex/pest-control-harlow/

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Remember that the primary responsibility for dealing with pest problems rest with you, as the owner of the food business. Laying baits and poisons should be left to the professionals – commercially available products are often not adequate for use in the food business and can be cause food contamination – but you can and should do a visual inspection of the place for signs of pests regularly.