Food, Catering, and Getting Rid of Bugs

When you're working with food, whether you're in catering, a chef in a restaurant or in the food industry, you are sure to encounter bugs. Insects are drawn to food odours and will always be a nuisance unless you are able to control them. In the food and catering industry, this is something that you need to think about and plan for because insects in a restaurant or, worse, in the food can have a bad impact on your reputation.

Prevention is the best way to deal with bugs. Here is how you can do it.

There are insect sprays that you can use to get rid of bugs. However if you use any type of bug spray, you need to make sure that all food is either out of the vicinity or air sealed properly. Spraying would be a resort you need to take if the bugs are already there. Try to put measures in place to prevent this.

Ensure that foods are tightly sealed. Keep the windows and doors closed when they are not in use. Food odours travel and as soon as a window in the kitchen is opened flies will see it as an open invitation. If you don't have sufficient ventilation then you can add netting sheets to the windows to prevent insects from flying in while the windows are open.

Teach your kitchen staff to be aware of any insects that enter the kitchen and instruct them to catch the insects as soon as they see one. Once you allow one insect in, it could lead to many insects making their home in your kitchen and create an infestation. Stop the bugs before they get a chance to breed.

Get an insect exterminator unit. This is an electrical type of catering equipment that can be mounted to a wall. It is a steel structure that has specialised illuminated horizontal light bulbs that are covered by a steel grid. The bugs are drawn to the unit due to the light and once they touch the grid they are killed upon impact. These discreet and powerful units are quite effective.

The key is to get rid of the bugs before they have a chance to roam around your kitchen. If you let it go they can breed and become a much bigger problem. Prevent and stop any bugs such as flies, cockroaches, ants and moths from entering your restaurant or catering kitchen.