Rodents are the most irritating pests that you have to deal with. Especially when it comes to food safety concerns, rodents are the biggest troublemakers. Rodents are a real threat to health because they carry contaminants and love to feed on our food. Products in food processing facilities are contaminated most by rodents. That’s why such facilities prefer commercial pest control services to control rodent activity.
Increased rodent activity raises several food safety concerns. So let’s learn more about them;
Spread of Microbes
Rodents like rats and mice spread several microbes like bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Rodents are known to spread 35 known disease-carrying pathogens, ranging from medium to highest lethality. These microbes can cause serious health problems for your family. The spread of Hantavirus in houses is also mainly associated with rats. Thus, it is recommended to seek help from home pest control services to avoid rodent activity and the diseases they spread.
Food Contamination
The biggest concern with rodents is that they spread contamination all around. They can contaminate our food with their urine, droppings, or fur. Such food tends to grow fungus over time which is unhealthy for consumption. Also, rodents are earth animals and carry a lot of dirt that comes in contact with our food. When these dirt particles enter our bodies, they can cause allergies and infections. Rat-bite fever is a common disease caused by consuming food contaminated by rodents.
Damaged Food Packaging
Even packaged food products are not safe from rodents. Mouses and rats damage food packaging by biting them or making gnaw marks. This exposes the food to pollutants and pathogens. Such food is not safe and hygienic anymore. Thus, it is not safe for consumption and leads to several diseases such as food poisoning. To prevent such damage to food and related health problems, you must look for modern solutions pest control for rodents.
Cross Contamination
Cross-contamination of food by rodents is another huge concern related to food safety. When rodents feed on one food item, they carry its tiny pieces to another item they are looking to enjoy. Due to this, they cross-contaminate food. Some people are allergic to specific types of foods like dairy or nuts. So, consuming cross-contaminated food can trigger their allergies without knowing that the reason behind this is just some clever rodents.
Fresh Produce Wastage
All the food that rodents make unhealthy to eat goes to waste. Especially fresh produce like fruits and vegetables. Apart from maintaining food safety, food wastage caused by rodents is also a common concern. Rodents like mice can feed on any type of food. So they eat a little of everything. The whole food item goes to waste if it even comes in contact with these rodents. To avoid such food wastage at your home, you must control rodent activity with home pest control services.
The Takeaway
Keeping food safe and untouched by rodents is not easy due to their increased population. They become highly active around spaces that have more food, like houses or storage units. Rodents seek shelter in such places so that they can keep getting food continuously. They like to do this, but it is not good for us at all. Commercial food space owners and homeowners must opt for home or commercial pest control services as soon as they come across rodents as they cause serious problems.
