In a recent survey from Food Processing magazine, more than 85% of respondents indicated they gave some thought to the safety of their foods and beverages over the past year.
When asked about their confidence in the safety of the food supply in the United States, 78% indicated they were very or somewhat confident it was safe.
In other words, U.S. consumers trust that the food they feed their families is free of disease and contaminants.
What does this mean to you, me and the millions of consumers who buy and consume everything from apples to zucchini every day? It means that keeping our nation’s food supply healthy is an important job, and one that requires an expert’s touch.
Basic pest management in food handling facilities is the first pre-requisite to keeping our food supply safe. At Western Exterminator we take our role in helping protect the nation’s food supply quite seriously. Our Quality Assurance Manager Janet Yaldezian and our entire team of Commercial Division pest professionals work day in and day out to protect the food your family eats in restaurants, school cafeterias, ballparks, on cruise ships, and at your kitchen table.
Every year pest infestations cause enormous economic loss to food supplies around the world. As food travels from farm to table, opportunities for pest contamination abound. Whether it’s the producer, processor, distributor or your local grocery store, every facet of the food industry is exposed to pest related risks.
Yaldezian is a registered dietician, an environmental health specialist and has the same credentials as government health inspectors. She works with our entomologists, Service Technicians and closely with the needs of our customers to develop effective and specific programs that keep unwanted, destructive pests like rodents, cockroaches, flies, stored product pests and birds from invading and spoiling food supplies. She performs audits and consults with clients to assist them in determining that proper sanitation and food safety standards are met at their facilities, helping them meet strict and vital government standards.
In addition, Yaldezian insures our team of service professionals receives the required certifications coupled with continuous honing of their skills, allowing them to provide a superior level of pest management services for these highly regulated food handling facilities.
“Pest management is a critical part of food safety because pests can contaminate foods with pathogenic microorganisms and make people sick,” says Yaldezian. “Our IPM programs exclude and prevent pests from entering a food facility to protect the safety and integrity of the products being produced.”
Among the services Western Exterminator provides food industry customers are bioremediation, bird exclusion, commodity, railcar, trailer and structural fumigation, flying insect management, food safety inspections, pest proofing, and stored product pest monitoring.
Many hands and pests can come into contact with the food we buy and eat on its way from the fields and pastures to our plates. You can eat easier knowing Mr. Little and Western Exterminator are on the job to make sure every bite is delicious, nutritious, and pest-free!
The next time you sit down to a delicious looking meal, know that my team and I, along with pest professionals across the country, are dedicated to making sure your meal not only tastes good, but is good for you, too!
Have a question on food safety or pest management? If so, send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I’ll get back to you right away with the information you are looking for.
Until next time, thanks for making Western Exterminator Company “The Final Word in Pest Control®.”
Have a pest free day.
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