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Inspectors visited a branch of Sainsbury’s in Scotland last year when they received an anonymous tip-off about the substandard hygiene in the store, despite a £9 million refurbishment. When the inspectors arrived, they found that certain food packages showed signs of having been chewed by mice. Despite this, the affected products were on the shelves and available for customers to purchase.

The company was subsequently prosecuted for failing to effectively prevent rodent infestation and for failing to deal with the problem quickly enough. It was discovered that despite the huge refurbishment budget, only three thousand pounds had been allocated to pest control and that this was evidently insufficient.

The supermarket destroyed all foodstuffs that could have come into contact with the mice and admitted two breaches of hygiene standards in court. The judge fined the company six thousand pounds.

Pest control is an essential element of running any food business. Food will always attract pests, and you need to ensure that you do everything necessary to keep them out of your premises. The CIEH Level 4 Award in Food Safety Training covers pest control and provides the knowledge necessary to protect your customers and your business from unwelcome guests.