Reducing Food Waste: Dave Colbert Of Xcluder Rodent And Pest Defense On How They Are Helping To Eliminate Food Waste
The greatest piece of advice they offer relates to managing our sanitation habits and better controlling our trash and garbage. It is our waste that keeps rodents in such a strong, growing position in today’s world, and yet the effort to manage waste in many cities is insufficient.
It has been estimated that each year, more than 100 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States. That equates to more than $160 billion worth of food thrown away each year. At the same time, in many parts of the United States, there is a crisis caused by people having limited access to healthy & affordable food options. The waste of food is not only a waste of money and bad for the environment, but it is also making vulnerable populations even more vulnerable.
Authority Magazine started a new series called “How Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Supermarkets, Hospitality Companies and Food Companies Are Helping To Eliminate Food Waste.” In this interview series, we are talking to leaders and principals of Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Supermarkets, Hospitality Companies, Food Companies, and any business or nonprofit that is helping to eliminate food waste, about the initiatives they are taking to eliminate or reduce food waste.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dave Colbert, Vice President of Xcluder Rodent and Pest Defense.
With 17 years of experience working with Pest Management Professionals in North America, Europe and Asia, Dave has played a key role in the development and growth of the global exclusion market. He has spearheaded the development of many of the exclusion technologies in the Xcluder catalog, available at www.buyxcluder.com.
Dave works with facility management teams and pest management professionals to develop exclusion strategies for a variety of industries, with a strong focus on the food industry and upholding food safety standards.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
GMT, Inc. is a producer of steel wool products. We entered the world of rodent exclusion about 17 years ago during a brainstorming session when one of my colleagues mentioned that we sold a lot of steel wool to the New York Transit for the purpose of “stuffing holes” in the subway system in an effort to combat rodent infestation. From that point forward, we have partnered with pest management professionals (PMPs) around the world and subsequently learned more and more about rodents and their ongoing threat to public health and food safety. All PMPs practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and exclusion is one of the essential elements of IPM. Anywhere there is food production, processing or service, rodents create a threat to food safety.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began at your company or organization?
Overseeing the growth and development of the Xcluder product line has been quite fascinating as rodents are a problem in essentially every industry all over the world. This work has brought me in contact with leaders in the food industry and scientific community, as well as public health officials. Our products solve a universal problem — keeping rodents out of a building.
I once worked with a very famous museum that was facing a significant mouse issue in its food service area. Working closely with the pest management company, we were able to identify the various entry points and use our products to seal them effectively. Closing the entry points forced the rodents to change their standard habits and allowed for their quick and easy capture, eliminating the threat to food safety. It was interesting to witness first-hand how much of a difference exclusion makes in the battle against rodents.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Early on in the development of Xcluder as we considered marketing opportunities, we decided to exhibit our products at the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. “How to keep rodents out of your restaurant” seemed like a perfect message for this audience. Unfortunately, the expo was far more about sampling and serving food, and people took one look at our banner that said, “KEEP RODENTS OUT,” and were repulsed. We quickly learned that in the restaurant industry, rodents are a taboo subject. When people are promoting food, rodents are the last subject they want to think about, and they don’t want to give any indication they are facing a problem in that area.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I take pride in Xcluder’s product leadership, as well as having established our team as experts in the field of rodent exclusion. With regards to product leadership, we are always listening to our customers and developing or enhancing products with the following criteria: effectiveness, ease of installation and cost justification. For example, we recently re-designed our entire line of rodent-proof door sweeps not because they weren’t working, but because we came up with design elements to make them work even better. Rodents are tenacious and keeping them out of buildings is not a simple task. Maintaining our leadership in this industry means continuously expanding and improving our product line.
Claiming industry leadership also means building a team that is invested and educated in our field. We actively seek out opportunities for education, including the industry’s Rodent Academy and training classes offered by Pest Control Technology magazine. We also seek out guidance and expertise from leaders in the scientific community and are fortunate to collaborate with some of the best. Staying up-to-date on the latest industry publications and guidelines is also a priority for our team.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of my favorite life lesson quotes is, “What goes around comes around.” If you treat people with respect, it will be returned over time. I’ve witnessed this time and again with colleagues and business contacts that create networking opportunities down the line, as well as customers that feel well-supported and respected and therefore recommend our team for future business. Treating others with respect is paramount.
OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Let’s begin with a basic definition of terms so that all of us are on the same page. What exactly are we talking about when we refer to food waste?
I’d like to start by defining exclusion. In the pest control industry, the exclusion is the term for using physical barriers to prevent rodents and other pests from entering a building vs. attempting to remove them once they are already inside. Fundamentally, exclusion involves the elimination of cracks, crevices, and other spaces that allow rodents to gain entry. It is a primary component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which is a comprehensive approach to pest control that includes monitoring, sanitation, exclusion, and, only if absolutely necessary, the application of pesticides. IPM best practices are central to most food and public health safety standards related to pest control.
Rodents are a major contributor to food waste because any food with which rodents come into contact is immediately contaminated and should be considered unsafe for consumption. In one year, rats and mice destroy enough food to feed 200 million people (PestWorld.org).
Can you help articulate a few of the main causes of food waste?
Rodents are certainly a major cause of food waste, as they eat or contaminate at least 20 percent of the world’s food supply each year. Their ability to contaminate on such a large scale is due in part to their nibbling habits, wherein they come into contact with far more than they actually consume. In just one year a rat can shed more than half a million body hairs, and a mouse can produce up to 18,000 fecal droppings (Indiana Department of Health).
Another factor in the amount of food waste generated by rodents is their ability to multiply at an alarming rate. Two rats can multiply into more than 1,200 in one year. In that same year, one female mouse will have 32–56 pups, each of whom can have their own litter of pups at just six weeks old (rentokil.com and preventivepesthouston.com).
Rodents’ tenacity in gaining access to food adds to the challenge. Rats have been known to gnaw through plastic, wood, aluminum, brick, cement, and even lead in search of food and shelter. They can climb wires and rough surfaces, swim considerable distances and tread water for several days.
Food safety regulations and audit requirements are abundantly clear that pest control must be managed preventatively and with the utmost diligence because rodents carry diseases including rat-bite fever, hantavirus, leptospirosis, salmonellosis, murine typhus, and even the bubonic plague. They also have been linked to asthma, and transport fleas, lice, and ticks. For any food-related business, including schools and hospitals, this is a major issue.
What are a few of the obstacles that companies and organizations face when it comes to distributing extra or excess food? What can be done to overcome those barriers?
This topic is outside my area of expertise so I will let the other experts handle this question.
Can you describe a few of the ways that you or your organization are helping to reduce food waste?
Xcluder works closely with our food processing, production and service partners to identify rodent vulnerabilities and properly safeguard their facilities. Mice can squeeze through an opening the size of a dime, and rats through an opening the size of a quarter, so access points aren’t hard for them to find. We’ve designed our products to protect the key problem areas that leave food facilities at risk of rodent infestation and therefore food contamination. Exterior doors, loading docks and small cracks and crevices on a building’s exterior are three of the biggest vulnerabilities.
Exterior Doors: Damaged or missing door sweeps are one of the most common rodent entry points. Standard rubber or brush door sweeps are not designed to withstand the gnawing power of rodents. Xcluder’s Rodent-Proof Door Sweeps feature a core of high-density Xcluder Fill Fabric, which is a blend of stainless steel and poly-fiber with sharp, coarse fibers that rodents cannot gnaw through. Rodent-proof door sweeps are arguably the most important tool in protecting food facilities against rodents and the food waste they create.
Loading Docks: The moving parts, tiny gaps, foot traffic and equipment wear and tear make loading docks notorious for rodent activity. From both the bottom and top of the loading dock door to the small vertical gap on each side, to the gap created by the dock leveler and the often-overlooked opening surrounding the pull chain, we have designed products to effectively seal every potential entry point against these tenacious pests. Loading docks often house a facility’s dumpsters, which are another huge attractant for rodents.
Cracks and Crevices. Points where electrical, water, gas, sewer, and HVAC lines enter a building often create small gaps that rodents can exploit. Rodents also get in beneath roofing tiles and through small cracks in the foundation. A stainless steel-based fill fabric like Xcluder is the only way to effectively seal these cracks without the risk of rusting. Caulk, mortar and spray foam products offer little to no protection against the gnawing power of rodents.
Once comprehensive exclusion tools are in place, facilities should be inspected daily for rodent activity, and employees should be trained to notice signs of rodent activity.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help address the root of this problem?
Rodents are a significant problem in cities today, and in most cases the rodent populations are growing. It is evident, unfortunately, that the problem of rodent control takes a back seat to other concerns.
- I would recommend that politicians on the local level gain a better understanding of the tremendous negative impact that a rodent issue has on the health and well-being of their population.
- Communities should heed the words of scientists in the field. The greatest piece of advice they offer relates to managing our sanitation habits and better controlling our trash and garbage. It is our waste that keeps rodents in such a strong, growing position in today’s world, and yet the effort to manage waste in many cities is insufficient.
- Citizens, especially those who live in urban settings with large rodent populations, would benefit from organizing themselves much like a neighborhood crime watch group to collectively understand, observe and take action to eliminate rodents in their neighborhood. A concentrated effort among housing associations and other neighborhood groups to eliminate rodents will have a greater impact than a single resident or homeowner battling them alone.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- Rodents are living, planning, communal creatures who will always be persistent.
- Without constant monitoring of a food-based facility, food will always be at risk.
- Rodent exclusion is an evolution, not a revolution with the pest control industry. It has taken many years for PMPs to accept and utilize exclusion methods as readily as baits and traps. The understanding and acceptance of exclusion has evolved over time.
- The general population has very little understanding of the threat that rodents pose.
- The majority of people are reactive vs. proactive with rodent control management.
One story comes to mind that highlights each of the points I wish I had known. We were called into an apartment complex in Chicago that had a French restaurant in the building, a detached four-door garage with trash bins, and a grease bin. It was completely overrun with rodents — they had torn through every possible door sweep and seal installed, and unfortunately, the PMP had neglected the five rodent burrows that were less than 200 feet away. We built very specific seals for these doors and worked with the PMP to eliminate most of the burrows. Throughout the process, the building owner was most concerned about the cost of the sweeps. This was one of the most disgusting, rat-infested places I have ever seen. It was a luxury, high-end building, and the owner was worried about a few thousand dollars to solve the entire problem. This type of thinking is at the root of today’s growing rodent problem.
Are there other leaders or organizations who have done good work to address food waste? Can you tell us what they have done? What specifically impresses you about their work? Perhaps we can reach out to them to include them in this series.
We partner with many incredible PMPs and facility management teams that take exclusion, rodent control and food safety very seriously. The scientific community has excellent School IPM teams, as well as Municipal IPM teams that are well-equipped to educate the food industry on the importance of exclusion to protect food sources. Matt Frye, Community IPM Extension Educator for the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program of Cornell University and Dr. Robert Corrigan, Rodentology PhD and leading industry expert, have been tremendous resources to our team and advocates for exclusion. Controlling today’s increasingly aggressive rodent populations, and the food waste they create will require the combined efforts of city officials, pest control experts, facilities management teams and the scientific community.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
If I could inspire a movement based on my area of expertise, I would drive a proactive approach to rodent exclusion vs. a reactive one. If I had a dollar for every customer who told me they need a door sweep for one of their restaurant locations, but not the other 20 locations they own, I’d have a lot of money in my pocket. To assume one store or restaurant has an issue but the other 20 do not is truly a case of denial. If all decision makers in food-related businesses were proactive in pest control and comprehensive exclusion, we would see a significant improvement in the number of rodent infestations and resulting food contamination.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
If I had this opportunity without limitations, I would go back in time and meet Winston Churchill. (Unfortunately, he won’t read this article). There are few, if any, leaders I can think of that had such a significant impact on the course of history as Churchill. He led a country under siege, and the odds were against him succeeding, and yet he managed to bring his country through the darkest of times. He was a brilliant strategist and definitely a bit eccentric, so I imagine a breakfast or lunch with him would be a most fascinating experience.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
The latest from our company can be found at www.buyxcluder.com, or on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Xcluder
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xcluder/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/XcluderRodent
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BuyXcluder
This was very meaningful, thank you so much, and we wish you only continued success.
Reducing Food Waste: Dave Colbert Of Xcluder Rodent And Pest Defense On How They Are Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.