The surroundings for food plants should be neat trim, and well landscaped. Lawn should be cut regularly to avoid insects and other pests that lurk in tall grass. There are several reasons for this. Nice surroundings have a good psychological effect on those who work within.
If the environs are well kept, the personnel working there are much more apt to try to keep things neat and clean on the inside.
Control excessive growth of weeds and decorative plants to restrict insect or vermin harborage. If the surroundings are dirty or cluttered, those working in the plant are apt to become careless in matters concerned with general sanitation.
Trees and shrubbery that provide food or harborage for birds should not be planted on the grounds of food plants.
All parking spaces, roadways, and walks should be paved so that dust contamination of the air will be minimized, and contamination such as animal droppings will be washed away with each rain rather than be soaked into the ground to be airborne during dry spells.
The building exterior must be kept in good repair to help control environmental conditions within the plant and restrict pest entry.
The roof must have good drainage and be kept in good repair to prevent leakage of water into the building. Fines from roof vent blowout areas are also critical. Rodents will scale exterior wall when following the odors of fermenting fines lying about in roofs.
The areas surroundings a food plant including platforms, should not be used for storing crates, boxes, machinery, old equipments, conduit lines, food transfer shaft, discarded screw conveyors, and similar items since these materials may become a harborage for rodents that may eventually find their way into the plant.
Allowing weeds and landscape areas to grow unmanaged can result in substantial rodent populations flourishing at the threshold of the premises.
There should be no area around the plant where the landscaping allows potholes or depression of any kind in which water may accumulate and become a breeding place for insects that then may become established within the plant.
Good drainage must be provided around the plant to eliminate standing water that too could serve as a breeding place for insects or could allow prolific microbial growth.
Food materials, ensilage piles, or other organic wastes should not be present in any exposed area near the plant, since they attract and become breeding slaves for insect, especially flies, which are difficult to control in food plants, even in the best conditions.
Unitized dumpster-type collectors are useful: however these devices should be kept tightly closed when not in use.
There should be no neighboring plants such as chemical, sewage, poultry, or tanneries that may transfer bacteria or chemicals to the food plant.
Food plant exterior sanitation
