The cost of control: The financial dynamics of sanitation and other pest management programs in food-processing facilities

Effective sanitation has been a goal in the food processing industry, but its impact on the costs relative to other pest control strategies is unresolved. To examine this question, food processing facilities in the Midwest were audited for sanitation practices, pest populations and their expenditures regarding pest control. Costs of sanitation and pest control were determined by adding the cost of individual activities, multiplied by the frequency of use. A comparison of expenditures shows that costs vary widely from facility to facility. However, a ratio comparing dollars spent on sanitation versus dollars spent on pest control (S/PC) suggests that a proportional increase in sanitation expenditures correlates with an increase in overall facility sanitation level (SL) (i.e. S/PC=1.93, SL=Superior; S/PC=1.38, SL=Good). The outcome of such higher sanitation levels correlate with improved monitoring reliability for pest populations within a facility and a reduction of pest population growth. Additionally, non-insect related expenses caused by poor sanitation, such as the rejection of product due to quality issues, is also reduced in higher-sanitation facilities. Overall, improved sanitation seems to provide multiple that may make a sanitation-focused pest management strategy more financially attractive to managers of food-processing facilities.