Pest Management in the Age of FSMA

Although very small businesses were not required to be in compliance with FSMA’s Preventive Controls for Human Foods Rule (PC Rule) until January 27, 2020, all other facilities have had to comply for at least the past year. But with the rule being 930 pages in length and food and beverage manufacturers facing continuing expansion of their product lines while endeavoring to comply, it is not surprising that some are still working to ensure they’ve met all the requirements – including the shift from reaction to prevention in their pest management program.

If you’re reviewing your programs to determine compliance, following is a 3-Step Quick Guide to help you assess – or implement – that of your preventive pest management:

1. Proactively identify your risks. Investigate your facility and operations to identify existing and potential pest risks and determine the root cause. Your pest elimination service specialist can provide the expertise to assist you in this key first step.
2. Take corrective action. Determine the necessary corrective actions, then prioritize these along with any improvements, time, and budget that may be needed in your pest management program.
3. Document everything. While conducting steps 1 and 2, ensure you are keeping records of everything discovered, detected, and corrected. Under FSMA, documentation is critical, with the “means” just as, or more, important than the evidence of the “ends.”