IPM pest-resistant pantry
Debugging the pantry…
Invasive Pest Solutions™ offers consulting and services for kitchen conversions to pest-resistant modular container systems. We help clients obtain pest-resistant pantries and more. Ask us about our exclusive Seven Zone Defense™ Service-Pack.
Many grocery store foodstuffs are packaged for short-term retail shelf-life and quick sale and consumption, not for long-term consumer storage in bulk quantities. More and more retail products are available in reduced packaging formats to reduce waste. Many environmental advocates suggest reducing packaging even more and doing so for many more retail products to further reduce our waste stream. Buying in bulk is a good value for consumers when bulk products are properly protected. Where does this leave the consumer who is concerned about pests in the pantry? Vulnerable!
Pests get into the pantry by hitchhiking on packaging, on fresh fruit and vegetables, and with grain products, or by spreading from nearby infestations. The solution is a simple two-step process: Inspect and Protect. Prevention is key to IPM (Integrated Pest Management).
Inspect produce and packaging at the origin, your grocery. Select fresh produce that’s not over-ripe. Check it in the grocery store for obvious signs of infestation. Check grain products for freshness and check packaging for damages left behind by chewing pests and for tears and openings allowing pest access.
Protect food products in the pantry by repackaging vulnerable (just about anything not in cans or sturdy jars) groceries and grain products in air-tight resealable container systems. Store fresh produce following a good scrubbing with a soft bristle vegetable brush in a small basin of water. Bananas and other counter-top fruits should be scrubbed, too. Your clean refrigerator is the best place for most fresh produce.
Pantry pests ruin food items in storage causing more than sanitation problems, they cost you money spent on spoiled products. They cost you money for pest control services. They cost you money and personal risk and discomfort due to health consequences of infestations.
Bulk storage is a good starting-point for protecting foodstuffs from pests by exclusion.