6 tips to help customers better control SPP

Noel McCarthy, Staff Writer, Sterifab

Today there are an estimated 60 species or so of stored product pests (SPP) around, most of them beetles or moths. And for those businesses that routinely store food, such as cafes, restaurants, school kitchens, food processing plants, and the like, these pests are responsible for enormous losses.

How you eradicate the problem depends on the pest in question and type of account it has invaded. However, when your customers ask how to control these interlopers, provide them with these tips:

1. Make sure foodstuffs are stored in airtight, substantial packaging.
2. Keep all stock off the floors and away from the walls.
3. Maintain rigorous standards of cleanliness.
4. Ensure all doors and windows fit properly.
5. Keep storage facility temperatures below 40° Fahrenheit, with humidity at about 30 percent.
6. Be meticulous in your waste management practices: Bag all waste; keep bins closed; and remove all food waste.

You also should tell customers that constant vigilance is the only way to make sure these invaders don’t return en masse. They can install ILTs and monitoring devices, but running checks on every item of incoming stock is their first, and best, form of defense.