PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE FOR FREE

6 Steps to an Effective Pest Management Program

In food businesses, pest management is always a must. Pests can put your products and your business's reputation at risk because nobody wants to find something in the product that's not on the menu or get a foodborne illness. Special precautions must be taken to keep pest control treatments from threatening food safety.

To better control pests, you need to apply the principles of integrated pest management. Though the phrase sounds complicated, it's not complicated at all. Every food business owner needs to understand that pest management is a process, not a one-time event for the pest inspection, and that relying only on chemical controls is never the best solution. A well-organized pest management plan can prevent an infestation before pesticides are even considered.    

We have created a template of the Pest Management Program for you.  Feel free to change it according to your needs and download it. A pest management plan is a summary and a result to a Pest Control chapter of your HACCP plan that involves a thorough analysis of the whole topic, ranging from how to get pests away from your food, to what the hazards are, and how you can prevent problems in the future.

Here are 6 steps that lead you through the whole Pests Management Program chapter:

STEP 1: PEST IDENTIFICATION

Different pests have different behaviors. By identifying the problematic species, pests can be eliminated more efficiently and with the least risk of harming other organisms.

All food business operators have the responsibility to control pests. This may be carried out by company staff (small businesses) or by local pest control companies. If carried out by staff, a pest management checklist template will help ensure that areas are not missed out from inspection and provide a place to record whether infestations have been found and the action that is then taken. If using contractors, choose carefully. Ask for evidence of competence, for example, training certificates or references. Agree with the service that will be provided, reporting procedures, and record-keeping. A specialist contractor can advise on suitable housekeeping measures to prevent pest infestation.

Depending on the region, top pests in restaurants and commercial kitchens are: 

1. Rodents - rats and mice

As a key player in the urban pest category, rodents such as rats and mice are one of the most common pests found infesting restaurants, cafes, commercial kitchens, and other foodservice businesses. They can also cause loss of stock by eating food items and damaging food containers and packaging.  Additionally, they have also been known to spread a range of diseases such as Salmonellosis, which can contaminate food items and equipment through their urine and droppings.

2. Insects – ants and cockroaches

Cockroaches and ants are the most common type of crawling insects that infest restaurants. They cause particular problems because of their size, giving them the ability to hide in small places, their varied diet, rapid reproduction, and the diseases they can carry.

3. Flying insects – flies and mosquitoes

There are a number of species of flies, such as fruit flies, drain flies, and house flies, that are attracted to different food products However, they all pose the same risk to food safety. These small insects are known to transmit over 200 various pathogens, leading to the contamination of food items, machinery, and cooking utensils, posing a risk to both staff and customer health.

4. Birds and animals

Depending on the region, birds and animals can also be a physical threat. Usually, you can prevent them from causing problems with physical blocks.

5. Stored Product Insects

Stored Product Insects mostly infest products that have been already opened but can also enter packaging made of paper, cardboard, plastic, cellophane, and foil, chewing through the packaging material or crawling through folds and seams. These are also known to contaminate food products through physical damage, making food unfit or unacceptable for human consumption.

STEP 2: CONTROL TYPE

Depending on the pests, you need to choose the control type, how to keep the pests under control, and how to prevent them the most effectively. Here, it would be best if you also considered preferring using non-chemical control methods. So, use the right treatments in the right places, and only as much as you need to get the job done.

The most common control types are:

1. traps,
2. feed houses,
3. window nets,
4. physical blocks

STEP 3: PREVENTIVE ACTION

As pest control management is an ongoing process, constantly monitoring your facility for pest activity can protect against infestation and help eliminate existing ones. Since your pest control professional most likely visits your facility monthly or weekly, your staff needs to be the daily eyes and ears of the pest management program. Employees should be constant in cleaning and sanitation schedule that affect the program and report any pest activity signs. You don't want to lose a day when it comes to reacting to an actual pest presence.

The most popular preventive actions are:

1. Checking traps and checking that food packages are not chewed;
2. Checking that there are no signs of insect activity (insect shells etc.);
3. Checking that window nets are intact;  
4. Checking that the building does not have open holes and waste containers are closed.
5. A good cleaning schedule and cleaning checklist are always the best to prevent infestations and cleaning up all food and drink spillages;
6. The proper waste management plan

STEP 4: INSPECTION FREQUENCY

The most essential part of every effective pest management program is a scheduled frequency of regular pest control inspections. For food businesses, weekly inspections are common, and some production companies inspect even more frequently. These routine inspections should focus on areas where pests are most likely to appear – receiving docks, storage areas, wardrobes, break rooms, sites of recent ingredient spills, etc. – and identify any potential entry points, food, water sources, or harborage zones that might encourage pest problems.

STEP 5: CORRECTIVE ACTION

As regular pest control inspections reveal vulnerabilities in your pest management program, take steps to address them before they cause a real problem. One of the most effective prevention measures is exclusion, i.e., performing structural maintenance to close potential entry points revealed during the inspection. By physically keeping pests out, you can reduce the need for chemical countermeasures. Likewise, proper disinfection will eliminate potential food and water sources, thereby decreasing pest pressure.

Some examples of corrective actions for pest management:

1. In the case of rodents, if the package is chewed, it will be replaced with new bites. Chewed food is always thrown away.
2. If insects are found, feed houses are replaced with new ones.
3. If the window net is broken, it will be replaced with new ones.
4. In the case of birds and animals. If possible and needed, open holes will be closed.

STEP 6: DOCUMENTATION

Let’s face it, the local authorities' visit can break your business. Your pest control plan has to be ready for the HACCP audit at any time. Up-to-date pest management documentation is one of the first signs to authorities that your facility takes pest control seriously.

Pest management important documents include:

1. Pest Management Plan. Feel free to use the template above.
2. Pest control chapter with hazard analyses in your HACCP plan.
3. Pest management inspection checklist. 
4. Trap layout maps that are a part of your HACCP plan.

If you need any other templates for your HACCP plan, find them in our HACCP plan template hub.

Not sure where to start with your pest control plan? Don't have enough time? FoodDocs platform can direct you through the HACCP process and get your pest management documents done in no time so you can focus on what you really need to – managing your business.