Whether it be your kitchen at home or the one at your business, keeping that space free and clear of pests like roaches, mites, rodents and other pests is essential to maximizing your health. Not only is it essential for your health but it is also state law to have a clean kitchen and prep area. Food inspectors look for any signs of infestation and can actually close restaurants and other businesses if there is rodent or pest activity.
Steve, who owns a pest control company in Rockledge Florida said the following: “Rodents and insects like cockroaches carry a variety of disease and bacteria. You can never be too cautious when it comes to protecting human food from pests.”
Steve is right. According to the NIH, roaches and rodents can track in Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhi, Rotavirus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Cryptosporidium parvum. In other words, they carry a plethora of bad pathogens that can be very dangerous.
Food safety training is a must for you and your employees. This training teaches you the proper way to eradicate viruses and bacteria from surfaces and gets you into good food preparation habits. It also helps you eliminate bad habits that may be contaminating the food you are serving.
CDC estimates 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne diseases each year in the United States. When you think about these numbers it is mind-boggling. That is 1 in 7 people in the entire United States that are affected by food poisoning every single year. Although there are many factors involved, poor food prep and pest contamination are the two main reasons for these high numbers.
You need to know what you are putting into your body and that starts in the kitchen. Keeping a sterile and overall clean environment is the biggest step in making sure you prevent food poisoning.