Processing Plants Targeted

Food processors are a growth market for pest control companies as they traditionally rely on staff to keep insects and rodents at bay, according to a new report.

It shows that, in general, restaurants and other facilities operating kitchens are almost entirely dependent on pest management companies for monitoring, diagnosis and treatment. Meanwhile warehouses and food processing plants, while relying heavily on pest management professionals, are somewhat more likely to use employees for this activity.

In a mature market like commercial pest control, new growth opportunities can be as scarce as a dragonfly in the desert, but food processing plants and newly opened restaurants may offer the best chance for pest control companies and their chemical suppliers to increase market share.

Around 25 per cent of food processing plants in the UK still use their own employees to coordinate pest control management, as opposed to an outside pest control company. Whereas more than 90 per cent of restaurants, kitchens, and warehouses – which make up the bulk of the food-handling pest control market – use contractors.

While food processing plants represent a smaller market segment overall, each plant is a high-value source of potential revenue for both the pest control companies and pesticide marketers.

If you know that you're peaked out in restaurants, and that 90-plus per cent of them already have a pest control operator, you have to grow by taking share from somebody else. On the other hand, if you can get a plant to convert to pest control, a single plant is probably worth 10 or more restaurants in terms of volume, though they're a smaller segment of the market.

For pest control marketers, the continued use of employee-managed pest control by a good number of food processing plants indicates a dual strategy is needed to ensure full coverage of the market – one that targets not only the pest control segment but also examines where food processing companies purchase pest control products.

The study also found an undercurrent of dissatisfaction in the market regarding methods for dealing with flies, specifically in food processing plants. However, some of the dissatisfaction may also be an indicator of the persistence of the problem.

The survey noted that there's a definite interest in new product forms and finding safer ways to handle fly problems with reduced exposure to pesticides. Flies are tough, though. You open the door for 10 seconds and you might end up with a fly infestation, regardless of how clean the facility is.

As a result pest management companies are looking to address the issue by developing methods that focus on exclusion. They are tending to teach clients to improve sanitation and keep doors closed, as opposed to using chemicals.