Retail Businesses

Rats and mice can contaminate surfaces and food with urine, faeces and dirt. They are potential transmitters of up to 200 human pathogens and can carry 45 diseases. Flies contaminate everything they touch, as they move from decayed organic matter and waste to fresh food. Other insects such as cockroaches are also associated with conditions such as diarrhoea and dysentery.

The presence of pests constitutes a serious health risk for customers and staff wherever food is stored and offered for sale. The pathogens they can spread can cause illness and food poisoning.

Pests also pose a health hazard in other retail businesses, which also attract unwelcome visitors such as mice and cockroaches. They spread filth, making premises unhygienic and their presence can also be distressing for both staff and customers.

Rats typically consume 25-30 g of food per day and mice 5 g. That may not sound like too much of a problem – until you factor in the fact that rodents are highly successful breeders. In fact, it has been estimated that 42 million tons of food is destroyed by rodents each year.

A variety of stored product insects such as weevils, beetles and ants can also be found in dried goods. These pests can eat their way through packaging before consuming and contaminating the contents.

The cost of food that has to be thrown away because of contamination by pests, added to the food they have actually consumed, can represent a significant financial loss for retailers.

Non-food items are at risk too. Insects and rodents can nibble through fabrics that include cotton, wool, and also leather. Clothes damaged by pests are likely to be unsellable, with a direct impact on your bottom line.

Rodents can gnaw through a wide range of materials, even metal. As a result, they can inflict costly damage on walls, doors, pipes, packing cases, lifting machinery and electrical equipment.

Sightings of cockroaches, rodents and other pests are a sign of poor hygiene. Just seeing one rat in the supermarket car park may deter a customer from returning there for their groceries. And a shopper coming across a cockroach in a changing room is unlikely to enjoy the experience. Before you know it, you are losing business that might be difficult to recover.

Food retail businesses are the last link in the food chain. As such, they need to satisfy regulatory authorities that the products they offer are fit for consumption. Pest infestations are the most common reasons for a failed environmental health inspection and failure to comply with hygiene standards can lead to the closure of a business.