Pest control: insect control and pest control

To ensure food safety, we must control the invasion of harmful organisms from the source. Insect pests are a major hidden danger in the catering industry. Insect eggs contaminate food ingredients and then spread diseases, seriously endangering human health. Many insects, such as cockroaches, like to live in dark crevices in catering places. Most of them are carrier-type invaders, reproduce rapidly and spread very quickly. It is difficult to kill them completely because of the protection of egg sheaths. Therefore, insect prevention and control measures in the catering industry are particularly critical, and generally follow the principle of physical control first and chemical control when necessary.

1. Strictly close. According to the food safety regulations for catering services: the walls and floors of catering service places should be seamless, the ceilings should be in good repair and free of cracks, damage, mildew, dust accumulation, and insect pests. Ventilation holes and ventilation fans should be equipped with insect-proof screens.

All pipes (water supply, drainage, heating, gas, air conditioning, etc.) connected to the outside or the ceiling should be closed, and all holes caused by the passage of pipes and wires should be sealed with cement, stainless steel partitions, steel wire sealing materials, fireproof mud, etc. The holes should be filled firmly and without gaps. Water-sealed floor drains should be used to prevent pests from entering from the outside to the greatest extent possible.

2. Regular inspection. It is generally recommended to conduct a comprehensive inspection at least once a quarter. In addition to checking the floor and walls of the room, pay attention to the back of fixed facilities and equipment and other dark and humid areas. These places are often hotbeds for pests. At the same time, carefully observe whether there are signs of pest activity. Taking cockroaches as an example, generally speaking, signs of cockroach activity are found from whether there are cockroach corpses, cockroach feces, egg cases and other cockroach traces. If pests are found, they should be killed as soon as possible. In addition, pay attention to check the temperature, humidity and ventilation in the dining environment. These factors will also affect the survival and reproduction of insect eggs.

3. Timely disinfection. Once the presence of pests is found, measures should be taken immediately to kill them. Professional pesticides can be used, and the selected pesticides should have complete label information (pesticide registration certificate, pesticide production license, pesticide standards) and be within the validity period. Different sanitary pesticide preparations must not be mixed. Appropriate types and dosage forms should be selected for different working environments, and the dosage and location of use should be determined strictly according to the technical requirements of the pesticides, and warning signs should be set up. Or please hire a qualified and professional pest control company, and the personnel should receive professional training in pest control to ensure that the pests are completely eliminated. The storage requirements of pesticides are also particularly important. Sanitary pesticide products must not be stored in food processing areas and dining places. A separate and fixed storage place for pesticide products should be set up, and the storage place should have fire-proof, anti-theft and ventilation conditions, and be under the responsibility of a dedicated person. Keep pest control records for each pest control.

4. Find the source. Once the pest is found, the source should be found in time. For example, environmental temperature, loose packaging of goods and other reasons may lead to the invasion of pests. Only by finding the source can we effectively prevent it from happening again. Effective measures should be taken during the prevention and control process to prevent food, food contact surfaces and packaging materials from being contaminated.

Food safety concerns every household, and market supervision has a heavy responsibility. Only by strictly following the catering service hygiene regulations, regularly inspecting catering venues, and promptly eliminating pests and cleaning up the source can we effectively prevent and eliminate pests.

Ma Xiaochen, Henan Provincial Institute of Food and Salt Inspection Technology