Rodents and Food Industries | Copesan (2024)

FAQs

Are rodents a problem for restaurants? ›

Rodents are familiar pests in foodservice environments because their three basic needs – water, food and shelter – can all be met in a restaurant setting. Rodents, like humans, like to be comfortable. So when the weather gets colder, they want a warm haven.

Rodent infestations are extremely dangerous to not only the health and safety of employees who work in the facilities, but these pests can also transmit serious diseases like Salmonella, which can contaminate food manufactured in the facility.

Types of Damage Caused by Rodents

They can infiltrate food storage areas, chew through packaging, and contaminate food items with their droppings, urine, and fur. This contamination poses severe health risks to consumers and can lead to foodborne illnesses.

As a result, many rodents are dangerous transporters of food-borne pathogens through their saliva, urine, and droppings. In just one day's time, a single rat can produce 50 half-inch droppings – that's over two feet of coverage per rat.

Vermin control.

Every enclosed workplace shall be so constructed, equipped, and maintained, so far as reasonably practicable, as to prevent the entrance or harborage of rodents, insects, and other vermin.

Rodents can carry diseases and contaminate food, preparation areas, and dining stations. This contamination could not only make employees and patrons sick, it can damage a restaurant's reputation in the process.

Food products that have been exposed to filth, like rats, mice and other rodents, can make you or your family members sick. This includes food and drinks for people as well as food for animals, like pet food, bird seed or fish flakes. Throw away food products in plastic and paper containers.

Inside a facility, nests can be found in storage boxes, wall voids, attics, roofs, crawlspaces, basem*nts, and sewers. Rodents are attracted to certain common conditions of commercial kitchens, including: Warmth. Plentiful stock of food and water.

Rats and mice are known to carry many diseases. These diseases can spread to people directly, through handling of rodents; contact with rodent feces (poop), urine, or saliva (such as through breathing in air or eating food that is contaminated with rodent waste); or rodent bites.

If even a single mouse is found in a restaurant's kitchen, the health inspector can force the restaurant to close until they have an exterminator handle the problem and then have the entire place deep cleaned. In addition to these costs, the restaurant loses days or even weeks of profits.

How to deal with rats in a restaurant? ›

Traps – Snap or box traps are useful in eliminating rodents. Rats are more distrustful of anything new in their environment and it may take 4-5 days before they are used to the traps. Live traps are good to use near runways used by mice and rats.

Large mammals.

Coyotes are relatives of the wolf and dog and will also eat rats. Foxes eat rodents as well as vegetation such as grass and berries. Some large cats such as mountain lions usually go for larger animals but will happily eat small rodents and birds if nothing else is available.

People get HPS when they breath in hantaviruses. This can happen when rodent urine and droppings that contain a hantavirus are stirred up into the air. People can also become infected when they touch mouse or rat urine, droppings, or nesting materials that contain the virus and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.

Rodents are a common problem for restaurants and other dining establishments in the Bay Area, such as catering halls and cafeterias, especially high-traffic areas. Rodents frequent and sometimes invade these establishments for the same reasons we do; they come for the food.

co*ckroaches.

co*ckroaches are the most common type of insects that infest facilities and establishments that produce or serve food. co*ckroaches are sheltering in the daytime and coming out at night to find food and other sites for shelter.

It's all about warmth and food

Rodents often infest pubs, cafes and restaurants because they offer protection from the weather outdoors and they're full of food. Owners who want to keep these disease-carrying pests outdoors should make sure that their building is secure and crack-free.