Preventing
perversions
Nikhil
Chatterjee, General Manager, Pest Control India, in conversation with
Tulika Banerjee, airs his views on pest management in the food processing
sector
Pest
Control India (PCI) has started a package of services for the food processing
industry. The paradigm shift from pest control to pest management has
opened new dimensions of safety, hygiene standards and quality of processed
food items, not only at the initial stages of processing but also till
the packaged food reaches the consumer. We zoom in on the organisation’s
various strategies to deal with the food industry, in tête-àtête
with Nikhil Chatterjee, General Manager, Product Management and Customer
Relation Management, PCI.
PCI is supplying a wide range of services to the
food processing industry. What was the reason for taking this initiative?
How did the company realise that there was a need for such a facility
by the food industry?
This initiative is attributed to the foresight and
planning of our founder chairman, NS Rao and our present chairman, MD
and CEO, Anil S Rao. We realised that each industry has its own dynamics
and unique characteristics and it was not sufficient to provide basic
services that were superficially adapted for commercial clients. It
was necessary for us to devise specific packages for each industry since
their requirements were different. Very often, a product from one Food
Handling Establishment (FHE) becomes the raw material for another, so
there is a lot of interdependence as well. Keeping all this in mind,
it became essential for us to understand the needs and operations of
each FHE and only then we could provide a customised pest management
package. Till now, our clients have responded well to the initiatives
taken by us.
How do you categorise FHEs in the fast growing
food processing sector?
In pest management, we define a food handling establishment
or FHE as an area or place (other than a private residence) in which
food is stored, processed, prepared, or served. Therefore, the scope
for pest management includes the food processing industry as well as
commercial kitchens, hotels and restaurants. Consider a hospital as
an example, where a patient comes for treatment of any disease. We would
look at the canteen as the food-processing unit, as it supplies food
to the people who are recovering from illness. It is very important
for us to see that the food process is free from any contamination.
So, apart from the tailormade service that we have for the hospital
industry, we also provide the food-processing package for their pantry
services.
What were the initiatives taken by PCI to fulfill
the requirements of different food processing industries?
It was very essential for us to be well versed with the latest
materials, techniques and internationally accepted food safety norms
before entering the food-processing sector. Our team conducted researches
and comprehensively studied pest management in food industry and finally
we came up with a set of solutions specified for certain sectors. Our
network of over 85 establishments and 2,000 personnel all over India
reflects our technical strength and ability to provide quality services
across the nation.
What are the services provided by PCI to the food
processing industry?
It is very essential to provide a proper pest management programme
to a particular FHE. It mainly depends on the surrounding conditions/location,
nature of business, kind of food processed, type of machinery used,
lighting used in the factory, structure of the building, raw materials
and packing material used, to name a few. The structure of every industry
is different and so their requirements also differ in a great manner.
For instance, the demand of coffee joints is different from that of
pizza parlours or a five star hotel. So, after a thorough inspection,
our trained managers recommend a customised pest management programme
to a particular industry. ...
A
training session organised by PCI to upgrade skills in pest management
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