Food safety is of the utmost importance in the food processing industry, and passing your audit is essential to ensuring the safety of the food supply. Pest infestations can be detrimental to food, causing contamination, spoilage, and in severe cases, even illness. It is crucial for every facility to have an effective, proactive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program in place to prevent infestations and stay audit-ready. Check out our tips for staying audit-ready:
Conduct Regular Pest Control Inspections
An IPM strategy is crucial to reducing pest pressure, addressing sanitation and exclusion issues, and monitoring pests. IPM is a proactive approach to addressing and preventing pest issues at your facility. Consider developing an IPM strategy with your pest management provider that includes regular inspections of your facility and data analytics to help identify and eliminate potential pest problems.
Train Your Employees
Your staff will be the first to notice any potential pest-related infractions on audits, making it imperative to utilize and communicate with them to help stay audit-ready. Ensure that all employees are trained in pest management practices and understand the importance of maintaining a pest-free environment. Training should include proper food handling, storage, and waste disposal. Encourage them to speak up if they spot pest issues within your facility.
Keep Detailed Records
Keep detailed records of all pest management activities, including inspections, treatments, pest trends, and any corrective actions taken. Consider creating sighting logs that are easily accessible to employees. These logs will assist you and your pest management professional with the next steps needed to eliminate the pest risk. Records can be used to demonstrate compliance with pest management requirements during audits. All documents should be organized so information is easy to find when necessary and helps answer auditor questions.
Passing audits in the food industry requires a proactive approach to pest control. Implementing a comprehensive IPM program that includes regular inspections, proper cleaning and sanitation, and employee training will ensure the safety of your food supply chain. This will enable you to pass audits with ease. IFC has over 85 years of knowledge and experience supporting food processing facilities. Our highly trained pest management experts will work with you to create an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plan to support your food processing facility best.
If you have questions or are interested in scheduling an inspection, please request a no-charge assessment now and learn how IFC can support your facility’s food safety program to ensure you are audit-ready.
