Building an Effective Food Safety Pest Prevention Program

Lessons from the Gold Star Recall

In late December 2025, the FDA announced a massive recall involving Gold Star Distribution—nearly 2,000 products contaminated by rodent and bird waste. The FDA inspection revealed rodent excreta, urine, and bird droppings in areas storing food, drugs, and medical devices, exposing consumers to pathogens including Salmonella and Leptospira. Pest control is considered a prerequisite program that supports the overall food safety program. This critical failure underscores why building an effective food safety pest prevention program is fundamental to protecting consumers and your business.

What Went Wrong

There were four likely critical breakdowns: inadequate facility maintenance (structural gaps allowed pest entry and harborage); failed monitoring systems (no early detection of droppings, gnaw marks, or nesting); lack of Integrated Pest Management (no comprehensive prevention program); and insufficient staff training (employees unable to recognize or report pest activity). Failures in these areas demonstrate why building an effective food safety pest prevention program requires vigilance across all control points.

Why Ongoing Maintenance Is Critical

Creating a program is only the beginning. Facilities deteriorate over time—weather damages seals, and equipment vibrations create gaps. Pest populations adapt seasonally, requiring flexible monitoring. Complacency is your enemy; the absence of pests means your program works, not that it's unnecessary. Regulatory expectations evolve through FSMA and certification schemes like SQF and BRC. Most critically, a single pest-related recall can devastate decades of brand building. The cost of maintaining a robust program pales in comparison to the cost of failure.

Ten Steps to Protect Your Company

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Assessment: Engage qualified professionals to evaluate your current program, review service agreements, and identify gaps against regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

2. Rigorous Sanitation: Eliminate food, water, and shelter through immediate spill cleanup, proper storage, waste management, and deep cleaning schedules.

3. Facility Design and Maintenance: Prevent pest entry through sealed doors, screened vents, proper drainage, and regular facility inspections to identify structural vulnerabilities.

4. Invest in Training and Culture: Train employees on pest identification, prevention practices, and reporting procedures. Foster a culture where staff report issues immediately without fear.

5. Choose Your Pest Control Partner Wisely: Verify providers have food facility experience, proper certifications, comprehensive service agreements, and view their role as supporting your food safety program.

6. Establish Robust Monitoring: Implement internal inspections, conduct regular management reviews, include pest control in audits, and establish performance metrics.

7. Address Root Causes: When pest activity occurs, investigate underlying issues—facility maintenance, sanitation gaps, food attractants, receiving problems, or training needs.

8. Prepare for Audits: Maintain current, organized documentation demonstrating program effectiveness. Be prepared to explain your IPM approach and how you monitor results.

9. Verification: Ensure pest control operators are following protocol and are communicating pest sitings, structural risks or any other potential risks to a responsible employee.

10. Use Outside Help: Having an outside “pair of eyes” can help identify opportunities for improvement that onsite personnel may miss. Think about using a 3^rd party company to help you assess your prerequisite programs for potential gaps.

Conclusion

The Gold Star recall proves that a single breakdown in pest management can cascade into crisis. However, these failures are preventable. By implementing comprehensive programs addressing facility maintenance, sanitation, monitoring, documentation, and training; fostering strong food safety culture; partnering with qualified professionals; and maintaining rigorous verification systems, facilities can protect consumers, brands, and regulatory compliance. Building an effective food safety pest prevention program is not a one-time project—it requires sustained commitment, adequate resources, and continuous improvement. The investment is minimal compared to the devastating costs of failure.

At FSQ Services, we help food facilities develop and implement effective pest management and other prerequisite programs. Our team can assess your practices, identify vulnerabilities, and develop customized solutions. Don't wait for a crisis—contact us today to ensure your facility is protected through building an effective food safety prerequisite programs that meets regulatory and third party audit requirements.

building an effective food safety pest prevention program

About the author

Lance Roberie

Food Safety Consultant and Trainer

Lance Roberie has over 26 years of quality assurance and food safety experience within the food industry. Mr. Roberie holds the following certifications:

Certified Food Safety HACCP Manager
Preventative Controls for Human Foods (PCQI) Lead Instructor
Meat & Poultry and Seafood HACCP Lead Instructor
FSPCA Food Defense (IAVA) Lead Instructor
ASQ Certified Manager of Quality & Organizational Excellence
ServSafe Instructor and Exam Proctor
Internal Auditor and GFSI Specialist

Lance and the Food Safety & Quality Services’ training curriculum will advance your team's food safety knowledge through certified training, consulting, and “real life” industry scenarios.