Sick days may soon be off the menu. Pest managers are calling for a new partnership with the food industry to reduce the number of foodborne illnesses suffered by Australians each year.
Representatives from the food and pest industries have prepared a new code of practice for pest management in the food industry. The code outlines best practices for both industries and produces a range of measured outcomes.
“The new code of practice complements the FSANZ Code and provides guidelines on pest and vermin management that follow HACCP food safety principles,” said Gavin Buckett, an Australian food safety specialist.
“The code details the expectations food businesses should have of their pest managers and the expectations pest managers should have of food businesses and their place of business,” Buckett said. “Pest management in the food industry should extend far beyond a can of bug spray.”
The Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association (AEPMA) coordinated the preparation and review of the existing code of practice. Foodborne illnesses are the cause of over 2 million lost work days each year and result in 18,000 people being sent to hospital. Tragically, 120 people die each year from foodborne illnesses, according to AEPMA President David Gay.
“It’s our aim, through the code of practice, to form a new partnership with the food industry, to dramatically reduce those figures,” Gay said.
Buckett called on the food industry to contact their local pest managers to discuss the new code of practice and review how the two parties should work in partnership to ensure a higher standard of pest and vermin control.
“At the very least, all food industry members should familiarise themselves with AEPMA’s Code of Practice - Commercial Pest Management in a Food Business, to assess whether they are meeting the best practice standards in pest management expected by the public.”
The new code of practice can be found on the AEPMA website: www.aepma.com.au