 As kitchens get smarter, they are getting more potential options to outsmart pests over the winter, when warmth and food aromas attract them. Emerging technologies are helping foodservice suppliers and operators detect and prevent infestations before they become health and safety problems. The risks are high: Globally, rodents contaminate about 20 percent of the global food supply, according to a report in Food Safety Magazine. Rodent activity is especially high in winter, when about 50 percent of rodent infestations occur.
Tech-supported monitoring systems use sensors to track rodent movement around kitchens, dry storage, and waste zones. They send notifications directly to operators when activity spikes, enabling faster intervention and reducing reliance on reactive chemical treatments. In one four million-square-foot distribution center, tech adoption increased pest detection by three times, led to a 67 percent rise in structural/sanitation fixes, and decreased overall pest activity by 80 percent. AI is powering systems like the Digital Halo, co-developed by Pelsis and BrightAI, which uses cameras and image recognition to monitor pest activity. AI models then analyze the images to identify species and assess infestation trends, enabling tailored treatment plans. When infestation hotspots are identified via a mobile app, technicians can conduct a swift intervention to prevent outbreaks and reduce pesticide usage. Of course, physical prevention methods remain critical. As winter approaches, it’s important to seal gaps in potential entry points, secure food bins, inspect deliveries, and train staff to report droppings, strange odors and gnaw marks that could indicate a rodent problem. Technology may just provide an added layer of protection that, like with digital sensors in other parts of kitchen, can help a business gather timely data and insights that help them stay cleaner, safer and fully compliant this winter.  As restaurant businesses become more digitized and connected, they are calling for a new kind of employee: one who is just as comfortable monitoring sensors and responding to alerts from a range of applications as they are chopping and cooking ingredients. Ensuring your staff is well-versed in these changes will only help your business, since your technology is helping you do everything from monitoring food safety, to collecting and continuously learning from the data you collect. Modern Restaurant Management reports that there is a growing role for skilled technicians to train, manage and repair this technology in restaurants. Do your training and management procedures adequately account for the tech changes your business has made? When you consider your job descriptions, training and feedback from staff, where are there opportunities to close knowledge gaps and ensure you’re reaping the greatest benefits from the technology at your disposal?
|
Subscribe to our newsletter
Archives
December 2025
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed