MPI pest control requirements for food businesses
What the Food Regulations 2015 ask of a food business about pests, set out regulation by regulation, with what MPI's template food control plan expects staff to do each day.
Checked against the legislation on 6 October 2026
What are the MPI pest control requirements?
The pest control requirements for New Zealand food businesses sit in the Food Regulations 2015, made under the Food Act 2014 and administered by MPI. Reg 18 applies to businesses on a food control plan and reg 51 to businesses on a national programme. Both require regular inspections for pests, removal of anything that attracts them, corrective action when they are found, and written procedures that are followed.
Neither regulation prescribes a visit frequency, a type of device or a contractor. They set outcomes and leave the operator to decide how to meet them, whether with trained staff or through a commercial pest management programme. The sections below take each duty in turn and show what a verifier will look for.
Which food businesses do the pest rules apply to?
The Food Act 2014 sorts food businesses by risk. Schedule 1 sectors, such as restaurants, cafés and retailers that prepare food, operate under a food control plan, usually MPI's template plan issued under s 39. Schedule 2 sectors operate under a national programme at level 3, 2 or 1. Schedule 3 sectors, such as retailers of shelf-stable pre-packaged food, need neither, so regs 18 and 51 do not apply to them.
Risk-based measures and the pest regulation that applies
| Measure | Typical businesses | Pest regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Template food control plan (s 39) | Restaurants, cafés, takeaways, retail food preparation, and residential care that serves food, including educational facilities | Reg 18 |
| Custom food control plan | Larger or more complex operations that write their own plan | Reg 18 |
| National programme (levels 3, 2, 1) | For level 2, MPI lists bread and biscuit makers, snack foods, jams and sauces, confectionery and food served at early childhood centres, among others | Reg 51 |
| Schedule 3 (neither) | Retailers of shelf-stable pre-packaged food, home-based early childhood services | Not applicable |
How these duties play out in a busy kitchen is covered in pest control for restaurants and cafés.
What do regs 18 and 51 require, side by side?
Regs 18 and 51 impose the same core duties in almost the same words. The difference is that reg 51, for national programme businesses, adds an express duty to record the type of pest found and the extent of the infestation as soon as practicable. Businesses on a template plan capture the same information through the plan's "When something goes wrong" card and the general record rules in regs 35–37.
Food Regulations 2015: pest duties compared
| Duty | Food control plan | National programme |
|---|---|---|
| Carry out regular inspections for pests and evidence of pests | Reg 18(1)(a) | Reg 51(1)(a) |
| Remove or destroy any material or site that could attract pests | Reg 18(1)(b) | Reg 51(1)(b) |
| Take corrective action when pests or evidence are found: "eradicating the pests or evidence of pests" without affecting food safety or suitability, disposing of contaminated food, and decontaminating or disposing of contaminated food-related accessories | Reg 18(1)(c) | Reg 51(1)(c) |
| Record the type of pest and the extent of the infestation as soon as practicable | No specific provision; regs 35–37 apply | Reg 51(2) |
| Have procedures to control pests so food is safe and suitable | Reg 18(2) | Reg 51(3) |
| Control pests in accordance with those procedures | Reg 18(3) | Reg 51(4) |
| Keep records for at least 4 years; legible, dated, naming who did the work | Regs 36–37 | Regs 81–82 |
Reg 3 defines a pest broadly: it includes rodents, insects and other animals likely to make food unsafe or unsuitable. Birds nesting over a loading dock, sparrows inside a food store and stored product insects in a dry store all fall within it. A food-related accessory, under the Act, includes packaging and anything used in handling food.
What design, waste and storage duties relate to pests?
Three further duties aim to stop pests arriving at all. Reg 13(e)(ii) requires the place of food business, so far as reasonably practicable, to be designed, constructed and located to prevent pests entering and remaining. Reg 17 requires waste to be collected, stored and disposed of so it does not attract or harbour pests. National programme businesses carry the same duties under regs 46 and 50.
- Building fabric: gaps around service penetrations, worn door seals, unscreened vents and open drains are design and maintenance issues under reg 13 (reg 46), not only pest issues.
- Waste: bins with lids, enclosures that close and a collection frequency that keeps up with volume answer reg 17 (reg 50).
- Storage: for national programme businesses, reg 58(2)(b) requires food storage facilities to be built to prevent pests entering and remaining in them.
Pest control products are covered as well. Reg 3 defines a maintenance compound to include any substance used for controlling pests, so reg 16 (reg 49 for national programmes) applies: the product must suit the task, be used to the manufacturer's instructions in a way that does not affect food, and be kept in a clearly labelled container that cannot be mistaken for food.
What does the template food control plan ask staff to do each day?
MPI's template food control plan, Simply Safe & Suitable (August 2026), turns these duties into a daily routine. Its "Checking for pests" card asks the business to check internal and external areas, including where waste is collected and stored, every day for signs of pests, to empty traps, remove droppings and dead insects, and to throw out any affected food.
The same card asks for affected equipment and food contact areas to be cleaned and sanitised, for pest control chemicals to be used so they cannot contaminate food, equipment or surfaces, and for the business to show its verifier how staff check for and control pests. MPI's national programme level 2 guidance (December 2025) asks for regular checks and records of the amount and types of pests found.
Is a pest control contractor compulsory?
No. The template plan states that a business manages pests either by employing a pest control specialist or by managing the risks itself. What is compulsory is the outcome: regular inspection, corrective action, written procedures, and records that show all three.
What counts as corrective action when pests are found?
Corrective action is what the operator does once pests or signs of pests are found. Reg 18(1)(c) names three parts: deal with the pests and their evidence without compromising food, dispose of any food the pests contaminated, and decontaminate or dispose of contaminated food-related accessories such as packaging and utensils. A written record of what was done is what lets a verifier see it happened.
MPI's guidance on pest control procedures (2011) breaks the response into four stages, which still make a useful checklist:
- Define the extentWhat was found, where, since when, and whether any food, packaging or equipment was exposed.
- Restore controlRemove the pests and the evidence, close the entry point or harbourage, and stop further exposure.
- Deal with affected productDispose of contaminated food; clean, sanitise or discard affected equipment and packaging.
- Prevent a repeatFix the cause: a door seal, a waste practice, a training gap or a change to the monitoring layout.
The template plan's "When something goes wrong" card asks for a record of what went wrong, who was involved, how it was fixed and what was done to stop it recurring. The guide to pest control records shows how to file that record so it can be found at verification.
How are the pest requirements checked?
Compliance is checked at verification. Reg 84 requires whoever sets a business's verification frequency to consider, among other things, the effectiveness of environmental controls such as cleanliness, pests and water supply. Weak pest control can therefore contribute to more frequent, and more costly, verification, while consistent records help a business earn a longer interval between visits.
What a verifier asks to see, and how to get ready, is set out in preparing for food verification.
This guide is general information, checked against the Food Regulations 2015 (version as at 21 March 2024), the Food Act 2014 and MPI's published guidance on 6 October 2026. It is not legal advice, and the legislation itself governs.
Questions facility managers ask
Do the regulations say how often pest inspections must happen?
No. Regs 18(1)(a) and 51(1)(a) require regular inspections without setting an interval. MPI's template food control plan sets the practical expectation for businesses that use it: staff check inside and outside, including waste areas, every day. Any contractor visits come on top of that daily check, and their frequency is set by the risk at the site rather than by a legal minimum.
Are birds pests under the food rules?
Yes, when they are likely to make food unsafe or unsuitable. Reg 3 defines a pest to include rodents, insects and other animals that meet that test, so birds nesting in a loading dock or entering a food store are pests for regs 18 and 51. Any work on birds must also respect wildlife law, which protects native species; pest bird work deals only with unprotected introduced species such as feral pigeons.
Does a pest control contract satisfy reg 18 on its own?
Not on its own. A contract can deliver inspections, treatment and written reports, but the duties stay with the operator. Staff still carry out the daily checks the template plan asks for, keep waste and storage in order, record findings and corrective actions, and show the verifier how the system works. The contractor's reports become part of the operator's records.
Do the pest rules apply to a business selling only packaged food?
Usually not directly. Retailers of shelf-stable pre-packaged food fall under Schedule 3 of the Food Act 2014 and need neither a food control plan nor a national programme, so regs 18 and 51 do not bind them. Chilled or frozen food retail is different: MPI places it under national programme level 2, where reg 51 applies in full.
Related pages
Sources
- Food Regulations 2015, regs 3, 13, 16–18, 35–37, 46, 49–51, 58 and 84 (version as at 21 March 2024)
- Food Act 2014, s 39 and Schedules 1–3 (version as at 10 July 2026)
- MPI, Template Food Control Plan: Simply Safe & Suitable (S39-00006, August 2026), "Checking for pests"
- MPI, National Programme 2 guidance, "Controlling pests" (December 2025)
- MPI, Guidance for developing good operating practice procedures: pest control (2011)
Request a site audit. A site audit reviews your pest checks, records and monitoring against regs 18 and 51, and the written scope that follows lists what is missing.