The AIB International Consolidated Standards of Inspection (AIBICSI) Food Safety and Pre-Requisite Programs covers Integrated Pest Management (IPM) under Category 4.
The standard defines IPM as
“the assessment, monitoring, and management of pest activity to identify, prevent, and control conditions that could promote or sustain a pest population.”
As AIBI’s IPM definition covers monitoring pest activity and identifying pests, AIBICSI auditees must continually plan to monitor and identify stored product pests (SPPs) at their premises.
Any food factory that processes and stores dry food products will have SPP infestation and must monitor them using pheromone traps.
AIBCSI clause 4.12 on pheromone monitoring devices: We discuss below the AIBICSI clause 4.12, explaining each it and each of its sub-clauses in this blogpost.
4.12 Pheromone Monitoring Devices
Pheromone monitoring devices are used as applicable to assist in the identification of stored product insect pests in products prone to this type of infestation (e.g., grains, cereals, spices, or herbs).
Explanation: The clause requires the auditee to use pheromone monitoring devices to identify SPPs in grains, cereals, spices and herbs.
We have listed above all dry food products prone to SPP infestation and where pheromone monitoring will be applicable.
Cereals and legumes: Wheat, rice, corn, oats, barley, lentils, dried peas, chickpeas, bran, flours, oatmeal, and breakfast cereals.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and other nuts and seeds
Dried Fruits: Raisins, dates, figs, apricots, and other dried fruits.
Biscuits, Chocolate, Cakes and Confectionery: Biscuits, chocolate, cakes and other cocoa-based confectionery products.
Spices and Herbs: Paprika, chilli powder, cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, fennel, fenugreek, and other spices and herbs.
Pet Food: Dry pet food or kibbles.
Other Food Products: Dried vegetables, flour, and pasta.
Pheromone monitoring devices contain a pheromone lure or attractant and a trap to capture the insect attracted to them.
Some manufacturers also include a kairomone or food attractant in their pheromone traps, making their devices more attractive to male and female SPPs.
Common SPPs that occur across food types include cigarette beetles, confused and red flour beetles, almond moths, raisin moths, tobacco moths, warehouse and khapra beetles, lesser grain borers and saw-toothed grain beetles.
A food company may find other SPPs in its products depending on the product’s nature.
Critical Requirements
4.12.1.1 When appropriate for the targeted pest species, pheromone monitoring devices are installed, maintained, and replaced according to label requirements and the annual IPM assessment.
Explanation:
As pheromones are species-specific or attract only one or related SPP species, the auditee must install pheromone traps for those insects that occur in their product.
This sub-clause requires that the auditee installs, maintains and replaces the pheromone traps as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
The two broad types of pheromone traps are floor traps for crawling insects and wall-hung traps for flying insects. Pheromone traps work when they have the attractant or pheromone lure. Though most pheromone trap manufacturers sell pheromone lures that attract one species of SPP, over the past few decades, multi-species pheromone lures are also available.
An AIBICSI auditee must determine the SPP species they want to monitor, purchase the pheromone traps and lures for those species and install the traps per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Pheromone trap maintenance involves replacing the pheromone lure and/or tap at the manufacturer’s recommended frequency.
Auditees can go through the pheromone trap manufacturer’s technical bulletins and product use instructions on their website and show them to the AIBICSI auditor for reference.
4.12.1.2 Pheromone monitoring devices are inspected at a defined frequency based on risk assessment and threshold levels.
Explanation: The frequency of monitoring a pheromone trap is company-specific and highly variable. Tolerance for SPPs in the food industry is very low, and the maximum food companies accept is just one or two insects per trap in a week with thresholds also set for the total number of insects from all traps.
Auditees must also set thresholds for the average number of trapped insects in a week, as many traps exceeding per trap threshold also indicate the likelihood of a widespread SPP infestation.
The frequency of counting insects in pheromone traps can be increased, and it can even be done once daily in case the catch thresholds are exceeded, and there is a high likelihood of product infestation.
4.12.1.3 The facility documents the types and quantities of insects found during device inspections and uses the information to identify and eliminate the source of activity.
Explanation: During periodic counting, the auditee needs to record the number of target insects and others in the pheromone traps.
The steps taken post pheromone trap count should lead to identifying and eliminating the source of the target SPPs.
After the infestation source is detected, better cleaning, removal of infested product, chemical pesticide sprays and treatment of infested products are required.
The objective of a pheromone trap programme must be to control SPP infestation in products and its occurrence in production and storage areas.
Appendix A—Documents to Have Ready for an Inspection – 4.12 Pheromone Monitoring Devices
Documentation of the types and quantities of insects captured in the pheromone monitoring devices
The standard requires a record of the insect types and numbers captured in the pheromone traps during periodic monitoring in pheromone trap count logs. Auditees can supplement the pheromone trap counts with images of the trap counts.
We also recommend maintaining a pheromone trap location map showing all the pheromone traps in a facility. As pheromone lures have an expiry date, auditees should also document the batch numbers and expiry dates used.
The trap and/or pheromone lure change dates, and the addition and removal of pheromone traps can also be documented in the pheromone trap count logs.
Action taken in response to pheromone traps exceeding thresholds must also be documented and will be useful to prove to the AIBI auditor corrective action in response to pheromone trap counts.
How can Giridhar Pai Associates (GPA) help you in your AIB CSI Food Safety Audit’s Pheromone Monitoring Device programme?
As India’s leading distributor of innovative pest management products, GPA has the best SPP pheromone traps and lures.
GPA markets Storgard Insect Monitoring Systems of Trece, Inc. of the United States of America and Ecomone Pheromone Traps and Lures of Fuji Flavors Co. of Japan for monitoring pests at food factories.
GPA is the sole and authorised distributor of Storgard and Ecomone pheromone traps and lures in India, and it regularly supplies those products to AIBICSI auditee sites across India.
GPA can help you determine the type and number of pheromone traps and lures you need, the frequency of trap and lure replacement and the possibility of cost savings through multi-insect monitoring pheromone traps.
Multi-species pheromone traps: GPA markets the Storgard Ultra-combi QC Dome Trap to monitor cigarette beetles, confused and red flour beetles, khapra and warehouse beetles, drugstore beetles, rusty grain beetles, granary weevils, maise weevils, rice weevils, red-legged ham beetles, saw toothed grain beetles.
In the Ecomone range, GPA markets the Serrico W+ trap that monitors cigarette beetles and almond moths and the Torios Multi that monitors, confused flour beetles, red flour beetles, flat grain beetles, lesser grain borers, saw-toothed grain beetles, maize weevils, and khapra beetles.
Contact us to establish, improve and maintain your AIB International Consolidated Standards of Inspection (AIBICSI) Food Safety and Pre-Requisite Programs’ compliant Pheromone Monitoring Device Programme.
We already supply Storgard and Ecomone pheromone traps and lures to numerous AIBICSI auditees across India.