Proactive Pest Control For Food Business Operators
In the food service industry, there’s no room for mistakes. Hygiene and cleanliness are paramount, and any issues could cause irreversible damage to your business’s reputation.
For a business involved in the preparation and serving of food, the recipe for success needs to be just right to win those valued regular customers and keep them. Any pest control issues could have a major effect on your organisation. Fortunately, Countrywide is here to help.
How Expert Food Safety Pest Controller Can Benefit Your Business
- Fully qualified BPCA Registered Pest Controllers to ensure all work is carried out to the highest standard.
- Discreet service visits timed when you want them to avoid disruption to your food service.
- Demonstrate ‘due diligence' under the Food Safety Act 1990 with our comprehensive reporting.
- Free call-out service for pest problems encountered between our scheduled inspections.
What Our Food Safety Pest Control Services Cover
For food services businesses, such as restaurants, pubs and cafes, Countrywide offers an innovative approach. Initially, we provide a free site survey to establish the types of measures we will use to ensure we keep your business running smoothly and pest-free. This survey is free and will help us to create the right pest control procedures for your business.
After all, the key to a great pest control service is meeting or exceeding your needs and also representing value for money. We aim to provide all this and more by making tailored plans that suit your company and protect the food products you sell.
Our service contracts will typically protect you against named pests that could pose a risk to your business. At the very least, a pest control service contract will offer you 365 days a year protection against ‘public health pests’ – namely rats, mice and cockroaches.
As a minimum, we offer:
- Eight routine pest inspections by a qualified BPCA registered technician
- Free call-out service
- Monitoring and treatment against public health pests (rats, mice and cockroaches)
- Hygiene recommendations (in line with Food Hygiene Guidelines)
- Documented pest management reports
Additionally, we can provide protection against other pests your organisation might face, such as flies or wasps, depending on your circumstances and the location of your premises. For example, pub beer gardens often attract outdoor pests, and we can help manage these as well as the standard food pests we cover. We can also offer disinfection services to remove harmful bacteria and contamination from a former pest infestation.
As such, you can rest assured that your business is compliant with all relevant food safety regulations. Our commercial pest control contracts for food businesses are a useful solution for busy kitchen managers and company owners who want to reduce the chances of a pest infestation. Learn more about common pests in commercial kitchens and how we can help by reading our guide: What Is Commercial Kitchen Pest Control? Call 0800 078 7280 to find out more and book your professional pest control visit today.
Ensure Food Safety And Compliance With Our Pest Control Services
Any business selling food for human consumption needs to have adequate pest control, as pests carry diseases and can cause serious problems for food handlers, including contaminating raw materials and causing reputational issues. Food and heat will attract pests, including rats, mice, ants, flies and other insects, so it’s important to be proactive in getting rid of them.
Food hygiene is crucial to any business serving food, and with good reason. Poor food storage and preparation can result in food poisoning, which can be fatal in some cases. Most pests carry diseases, including Salmonella and E.Coli, which is why preventing pest infestations is paramount in the food industry.
Due to the importance of food safety and in the interests of public health, the Food Standards Agency adopted a scheme called “scores on the doors”. The scheme was designed to increase consumer awareness about the level of hygiene at any given premises.
Through Environmental Health Officer (EHO) audits, a business is assessed and scored in three different categories: food hygiene and safety, the structure of the premises and confidence in management.
Effective pest control is essential to comply with and gain the most points in all three categories assessed by the EHO. As such, it’s a key part of your food safety management system. The three key principles, and the category they fit into, are:
- Pests need to be kept out of the premises to prevent them from spreading harmful bacteria. (STRUCTURE)
- It is important for all businesses to take reasonable steps to prevent pests from contaminating food. (FOOD HYGIENE)
- Documented systems are in place to monitor critical control points (CCPs) and are well-run. (FOOD HYGIENE and CONFIDENCE in MANAGEMENT)
With our service, you can ensure food safety for your customers and compliance with relevant laws. Additionally, you can avoid potential reputation problems, which is particularly important in the age of social media and smartphones. You can also safeguard your valuable food preparation equipment, food stock and staff.
When it comes to pest control and your food business, Countrywide offers professional pest control solutions that help you get the most out of your food hygiene ratings. Call 0800 078 7255 to find out more about our pest control services for food businesses.
Our Integrated Pest Control Procedures
Countrywide operates on proven “principles of pest management” to achieve a successful long-term outcome when dealing with a pest infestation. These principles address pest problems from their “root cause”. As part of our hazard analysis process, we look to identify where pests are coming from, how to reduce their breeding capabilities and also to implement ‘control’ measures to get rid of an infestation.
By applying these pest management techniques, we help prevent further infestation cases.
These principles are EXCLUSION, RESTRICTION, DESTRUCTION and ongoing MONITORING, also referred to by the acronym “ERDM”.
Simply put, they can be categorised as follows:
Exclusion – Prevent pests gaining access to your property in the first place.
Restriction – Reducing their food sources and breeding capability.
Destruction – Pest control intervention methods, using chemicals and physical controls as and when required.
Monitoring – Ongoing monitoring of the effectiveness of the management of pests at all locations.
Integrated pest management (IPM) is a very effective form of pest control. It uses fewer chemicals by addressing the root causes of infestations and focusing on the exclusion and restriction phases.
As such, we’re able to offer great pest control services for companies across the food industry. An ongoing pest control program, combined with good food hygiene practices and waste management, can ensure that your food facility is safe. Learn more by reading our guide: What Is Integrated Pest Management?
Get The Best Pest Control Service For Food Business Operators In Newbury And Berkshire
Countrywide has many years of experience providing pest control for food businesses like yours. Our team can identify pest issues and work to remove the problem before it becomes a major infestation. We can also prevent pests from gaining access to common areas where they congregate, such as bins that store food waste and damp areas.
Our proactive work will reduce the chances of your food premises attracting pests and ensure that you’re prepared if you get a surprise visit from the health inspector. With our help, you can prevent pest infestations in your food production, preparation and serving areas and safeguard your business.
Countrywide is a privately owned, independent regional pest control business based in Newbury that covers Oxford, Berkshire, Southampton, Reading and the surrounding areas.
We invest in our staff’s continual professional development (CPD) through our membership of the British Pest Control Association. This ensures that our staff are up to date on the latest tools and techniques used to control pests effectively.
We pride ourselves on reliability, accountability and thoroughness. That’s why we’ve achieved full approval to the Trading Standards “Buy with Confidence Scheme” and completely membership of the British Pest Control Association. We also continue to take an active part in the development of our industry as part of the Executive Board of the BPCA.
Countrywide were the first Pest Control company in the South of England to be awarded the Pest Management British Standard BS EN16636.
So, if you’re running a food service business and want to ensure safety and hygiene, you need Countrywide’s pest control services. With regular inspections, you can keep your food establishment safe from common pests. Get in touch today to find out more.
