Pest control program means measures to eradicate and contain common pests such as roaches,
ants, mosquitoes, flies, rats, and mice; (Mazhambe & Muza, 2021). The program may be done by
the facility ' s staff or by an outside contract. The pest control program is a stand-alone program
and is also a part of the plant’s food safety system. Most small food plants must decide whether
to maintain a pest control program themselves or contract the program to a pest control
company; (Chemical Homes, 2020). The following stages are implemented in the programme:
Inspection (monitoring) — Thorough inspection of the entire plant by an expert to objectively
identify pest problems is recommended. A written analysis should be provided, with details on
problem areas within the plant. Inspections should be conducted at a predetermined frequency.
For a small processor, it may be cost-effective to hire a pest management specialist.
Physical control — A standard of cleanliness must be established, with direct accountability for
cleaning. This includes all areas inside and around the outside of the facility. Exclusion practices
combined with routine inspection and repair restrict the ability of pests to enter and move from
place to place in the plant. Some examples of these practices would be proper landscaping,
adequate door seals, no entrances from outside directly into the processing area, and proper
placement of dumpsters.
Mechanical control —These are nonchemical means that stop pests or prevent infestations. We
have covered several means, such as sticky traps, electronic fly traps, needle strips, etc. Storage
insects can often be controlled by temporarily raising or lowering ingredient temperature or
reducing moisture content to levels at which insects cannot grow.
Chemical control — IPM does not eliminate the need for pesticides, and they should be used
when necessary. Only trained personnel should apply pesticides. Application of restricted-use
pesticides requires certification, and it may be practical to hire a professional exterminator. Once
the methods of control have been chosen, they must be written down in a concise program with
specific instructions, frequency of monitoring, responsible persons, monitoring activities, and
reassessment
. Verification of the pest control program All food safety programs (HACCP, recall, sanitation,
pest) must have validation documentation that ensures the instituted procedures are effective. For
example, if the pest control program calls for air curtains on the loading dock door, is this
measure effective at preventing incoming insects?
b) FOODBORNE ILLNESS EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION CHECKLIST
DOCUMENT A RESPONSE TO EACH ITEM LISTED
Maintain foodborne illness log to identify potential outbreaks from individual reports.
Determine if report warrants further Epi investigation. Gather additional information to
confirm details of incident. Get complete menu and identify other potentially exposed
groups (i.e., other people in party, guests, list of attendees), phone numbers, household
exposure(s). Determine if there are any leftover food items.
Obtain any medical information from primary M.D., emergency room/hospital records,
lab. Document the number hospitalized and the number who sought medical care.
Were clinical specimens collected and tested? If not, obtain the appropriate specimen
for suspect etiologic agent (stool, vomitus, blood), if possible.
Develop and administer questionnaire. Interview both sick and well individuals
(including employees). Appendix D and E are examples of foodborne outbreak
questionnaires.
Document dates and times of illness onset and exposures, illness duration and
location(s) of illness occurrence.
Form preliminary hypothesis of etiologic agent, source and means of transmission.
Decide on methodology (study design), cohort or case-control study.
Determine definition of illness (or case definition if case-control study), based on
symptoms, incubation, duration, exposure and/or lab.
Determine number of persons in study, the number of ill persons (or number of cases if
case-control study).
List symptoms and frequency of symptoms.
Plot an epidemic curve.
Provide a food specific attack rate table.
Provide 2 X 2 contingency table(s), pertinent measures of association and statistics.
Finalize hypothesis of etiologic agent, source and means of transmission.
Document how potential confounding factors were controlled and provide preventive
measures.
Write report (introduction/background, methodology, results, conclusion, and
recommendations).
References
Chemical Homes, 2020. Dealing With Pests, Harare: Nehanda Press.
Mazhambe, A. & Muza, G., 2021. Food Pests. 1 ed. Masvingo: The Ruins Press.
