While pests are nothing but trouble for residential properties, pests bring on even more consequences for businesses, especially groceries and supermarkets. Not only can these do all the same damages it can cause to homes, but it can also cause a company’s operations to be heavily hindered and put their customers at risk with contaminated products! 

Given that, if you are running a business in the food sector, finding pests on company grounds is a big no. Unfortunately, tackling pest issues can be incredibly tough, especially if there are multiple pest threats from various sources.

In this article, we will talk about the various pests commonly found in supermarkets and the dangers they bring:

1. SPIs

SPIs stand for “stored product insects” and can include various types of bugs, like mites, moths, and beetles, any of which may infest food storage areas. In some cases, they are in the food ingredient during the delivery or inside the processed food itself if stored for long enough. These insects slowly feed on the food item, contaminating it with feces, facilitating microorganism growths, and even damaging it, causing the food to be dangerous if consumed. 

For supermarkets, having SPIs means having to replace food items that have been affected, leading to plenty of replacement costs and an overall loss in revenue!

2. Flies

Flies, while tiny in size, can wreak havoc in grocery stores and supermarkets. These pests are known to carry over a hundred different pathogens that can cause various diseases, like Salmonella or Cholera. 

These pests are generally attracted to strong food odours, such as fruits. For supermarkets, flies can cause a financial loss in terms of compensation claims from food-borne diseases. It can even hurt the company’s reputation, scaring customers away from buying from them again. 

3. Birds

Birds, while not typically found in buildings, can still cause issues. For instance, a nested group of pigeons can leave droppings everywhere, from paved areas to entrances and even parked vehicles. The droppings they make can contain harmful pathogens and are definitely unsightly to see scattered around an area. 

For grocery stores, tackling these birds is a must if they want to maintain an aesthetically pleasing and safe store. However, there is a catch—some birds are protected by legislation, and only birds like pigeons that are categorised as pests can be controlled!

4. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are incredibly tough to catch, simply because they are fast, can hide in tiny places, and are generally nocturnal. Pair this with rapid reproduction and the diseases they carry, they are a massive threat to grocery stores! 

For supermarkets, cockroaches can mean foul smell from droppings that can affect food and packaging, shed skin that can trigger allergies, and a whole host of other issues that customers should never be subject to.

5. Rats and Mice

Rodents are one of the most common pest problems that supermarkets and groceries face. They generally shelter near food sources—and given enough food, they can reproduce at terrifying rates! 

Rodents can lead to all sorts of damages, from damages to machinery and electrical equipment down to food containers and packaging. They can also contaminate food products with droppings and can also transmit diseases like Salmonella and Lyme disease. Tackling rodents is a must for any supermarket, as not only having them around puts customers in harm’s way, but seeing one running around is a sign to the customers that this isn’t the place to be buying food products.

Conclusion

Pests are something you never want to find in any grocery store you go to, let alone the one you own. As such, creating strategies to combat pests is vital to ensure your food products remain safe and that your customers can buy from you knowing that they are in safe hands! 

That being said, we highly recommend working with professional pest control agencies with expertise in the food retail industry. With their help, you can employ proactive control and quick tackling of rising issues to ensure you maintain food safety compliance. With them on your side, you can stay well away from any trouble and deliver quality services to your customers.

Clean & Green Pest Managers offer pest control services to satisfy residential and commercial needs to maintain a safe and clean environment. If you are looking for environmentally-friendly pest control in Sydney for your supermarket or grocery store, enjoy our services today!