Know more about Veggies From Mexico: Urban Pest Control
Animals are a natural part of the environment in which we live, and we coexist with them, sometimes more closely than with others. However, when the number of animals becomes very high in a particular environment, they can cause havoc and become pests.
Urban pests can be defined as living organisms, including birds, rodents, insects, or other unwanted species that can transmit microorganisms of food safety importance.
The possibility of microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, parasites, among others) remaining in these places and reproducing is high if these animals are found at any stage of fresh or processed food production processes and in contact with food or surfaces.
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Mexican legislation through NOM-251-SSA1-2009, US legislation through 21 CFR 112, and various certifications such as GlobalG.A.P., PrimusGFS, and SQF Code, among others, clearly establish the prohibition of any animals in contact with food, requiring the implementation of several control measures.
Each certification or legislation has specific criteria on how to combat pests. Here are some control measures that have been proven to work:
– Identify the pest’s needs through knowledge of its habits and eliminate or restrict its sources of water, food, or places of refuge.
– Repair infrastructure failures to prevent their entry into important areas or nesting sites.
– Illuminate spaces, both to visualize them easily and to monitor hidden places, and even to scare away those that are sensitive to light.
– Perform frequent cleaning, removing debris that may be attractants or harborage.
– Train workers to identify risks and how to act in the event of an intrusion.
– Install traps appropriate to the organism to be eradicated, e.g., light traps with attractants, repellents, catch traps, glue traps.
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It is also important to know the environmental legislation, because being living organisms, some of them are protected against elimination depending on the region where you are.
All measures must be documented and implemented in what is known as an Integrated Pest Management Plan, which must be constantly improved according to changes in processes, the presence of new pests, and the effectiveness of the implemented measures.
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