Heat and suffocation are the way to control food pests

Wholefood packing company Day Plus One has devised a non-toxic pest control system suitable for use with organic products.

The invention is a controlled atmosphere room (CAR) that exterminates insects at all stages of development in food supplies.

Products are placed into the airtight climate room, the temperature is turned up to 27°C to stimulate the pest's life cycle and then the oxygen in the room is removed and replaced with nitrogen. This method kills any eggs that may be present in the product and does not form potentially harmful residues. The process can be conducted on-site using a computerised control room manned remotely by the system's manufacturer in Holland.

Day Plus One believes that as global climate change continues, the system will help to combat rises in the incidence of insect infestation.

"With climate change presenting very real challenges for the sector, we wanted to make sure we were ahead of the game, so have made a considerable investment in this revolutionary system," said Adrian Lauchlan, founder of Day Plus One. (Lauchlan is pictured left at the controls of Day Plus One's new CAR).

Renée Elliott, founder of organic food retailer Planet Organic, a Day Plus One customer, said: "It is reassuring to see Day Plus One taking the lead on this issue and favouring environmentally-friendly pest control that really works.

"We offer thousands of organic products and quality is something our customers take for granted."

Contact: Day Plus One, Tel: 020 8802 1088