Bugs for Breakfast???
What would happen if you opened your cereal box and found insects where the raisins should be? Your mom would be ticked off, to say the least. She'd probably write a letter complaining to the cereal company!
But that letter wouldn't do much good. That's
because nine times out of 10, it's not the food company's fault if insects get
into their product. Pests usually bore or sneak into packages during
transportation or in storage warehouses, according to Agricultural Research
Service entomologist Michael
Mullen in Manhattan. --Not the Manhattan in New York near the Statue of
Liberty. The other Manhattan, the one in Kansas, where the tornado carried off
Dorothy and Toto to Oz!
Mullen works at the Grain Marketing and Production Research Center. There, he's been helping food and feed manufacturers design insect-proof packages.
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Why does the food industry want to keep insects
out of packages? (Duh!)
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Mullen and his fellow bug scientists say there
are two kinds of stored product insects: invaders and penetrators. Invaders
include pests with wacky names like the confused flour beetle and the
saw-toothed grain beetle. These critters sneak into food containers through
cracks, crevices and holes.
Penetrators aren't so sly. These guys--the lesser grain borer, cigarette beetle, warehouse beetle and rice moth, for example--simply chew holes in the packages. They can bore through one or more layers of packaging--cardboard, plastic, you name it.
Ever wonder why the plastic liner in breakfast cereal boxes is so strong and tight? --Because insects home in on packages that let food odors escape. Those inner liners have to create a strong, airtight seal. Also, a plastic film "overwrap"--that fits tightly around a package--prevents insects from smelling the contents.
Other solutions to keep insects out of food and feed include: changing the type or pattern of glue on box seals and using extra reinforcement on the bottom of bags and boxes.
How can you tell if a package is
insect-proof? Guessing won't work, so Mullen developed scientifically proven
lab tests. They tell whether the packaging materials really do keep insects
out. His tests have led to insect-resistant, pesticide-free packages for dry
pet foods, raisins, baby cereals, pancake mixes and breakfast cereals.
After taking Mullen's suggestions, one company reported 75
percent fewer consumer complaints from insect-related problems. That's a lot
fewer letters from angry moms!
--By Linda McGraw, formerly Agricultural Research Service, Information Staff
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