IEH Academy Webinar

Pest Control for Food Plants

Pest management plays a crucial role in ensuring food safety and maintaining product quality. Seasonal shifts, facility environments, and operational practices all influence the presence of insects, rodents, birds, and other pests in food plants. Addressing these challenges requires a structured approach grounded in regulatory compliance and industry best practices.

RSVP

Webinar Recording

Description

This webinar will review the guidelines from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and examine practical methods for detecting, preventing, and controlling pests. Attendees will learn about the critical FDA and USDA requirements, cost considerations, and strategies that support compliance and enhance overall facility performance.

Topics Covered:

Costs, risks, and damages associated with pest activity
FDA and USDA pest control requirements
Best practices for controlling insects
Best practices for controlling rodents
Best practices for controlling birds
Best practices for controlling other types of pests
Strategies for Selecting Effective Pest Management Providers

Who Should Attend

Production personnel
Quality assurance teams
Process engineers
Sanitation personnel
Facilities personnel

Webinar Length

1 hour with Q&A to follow.

The webinar will include a 10-minute Q&A session where attendees can ask questions related to the Pest Control for Food Plants This interactive portion is designed to offer personalized guidance and facilitate the sharing of practical insights among participants.

RSVP

Meet the Instructors

Mike Gollinger

Mike Gollinger joined IEH as the Vice President of Technical Services in 2023, following a distinguished career in the food and beverage processing industry. With significant tenures at Heinz Foods, Bay Valley Foods, Trident Seafoods, ConAgra Brands, and Smithfield Foods, Mr. Gollinger brings over three decades of expertise, most recently serving as the Director of Product Integrity at E.& J. Gallo Winery.

Throughout his professional career, Mr. Gollinger’s experience included Operations, Engineering, Hygienic Design, Sanitation, Quality, Food Safety, Potable/Wastewater Systems, Integrated Pest Management, and Retail/Restaurant Food Compliance in both plant and corporate environments. He has successfully overseen a wide array of domestic and international processing facilities, encompassing diverse food and beverage categories such as wine, spirits, juice, frozen foods, peanut butter/nut processing, RTE/fresh meat, canning, spices, fish/seafood, organic, Kosher, Halal, and more.

In addition to his private sector experience, Mr. Gollinger served as a Preventive Medicine Technician in the United States Navy and as a Public Health Inspector with the Skagit Valley and Whatcom County Health Departments in Washington State. His responsibilities included a range of functions, including retail, restaurant, and operational food inspections, as well as environmental health and epidemiological investigations, and pest control and entomological services.

Beyond his operational roles, Mr. Gollinger served as a correspondent on the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) Commercial Committee, where he contributed a food and beverage industry perspective to shape the NPMA Standards for Food Processing & Handling Facilities Manual.

Ruth Pierson

Ruth Pierson joined IEH as Vice President of Technical Services in 2024. She holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and an M.S. in Systems Engineering from Southern Methodist University. Her academic achievements complement her extensive practical experience in operations, engineering, food and beverage equipment, quality, sanitation, optimization, and operational excellence, gained through positions at notable food processing companies such as Niagara Bottling and Tetra Pak, as well as other FDA-regulated firms.

Previously, she served as the Senior Manager of Technical Operations at Niagara Bottling, supporting both low and high-acid aseptic beverage plants. Prior to this role, she managed issue resolution at Tetra Pak for dairy, low-acid, high-acid, cheese, and ice cream customers. Ms. Pierson achieved expert-level proficiency in Tetra Pak’s root cause analysis process and shared her knowledge with specialists and field service engineers.

In addition to her academic and professional accomplishments, Ms. Pierson is a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt from ASQ and has extensive experience in failure analysis, process improvement, and troubleshooting. She is also a Licensed Professional Engineer and has contributed to academia as an Adjunct Professor in Mechanical and Energy Engineering at the University of North Texas.

Let's get in touch

Have questions? Our team is here to help. Also available is IEH customer service at (206)522-5432 or iehacademy@iehinc.com. By filling out this information, you are adhering to our privacy policy.