Tarrier Foods Corporation

Tarrier Foods Tops It All: Orkin Partners with Family-owned Food Producer to Keep Quality a Cut – and Crunch – Above

Most people like their ice cream with all the fixings, including the cherry on top. Likewise, a salad isn’t a meal until you add all the right toppings. Tarrier Foods Corporation, based in Columbus, Ohio, identified this niche in 1978 and have been expanding ever since, now producing a vast selection of products including candy and salad toppings, roasted nuts and granolas.

As one of the largest “candy choppers” in the country, Tarrier Foods understands the need for quality and fresh products. It’s the consistency of those two that has kept the company popular among customers, yet unattractive to pests. The success of Tarrier Foods’ quality assurance and pest prevention programs earned the facility a Gold Medal™ IPM Partner Award. Presented by Orkin, LLC, The IPM Institute of North America and NSF, the Award honors the strong partnership Tarrier Foods has with Orkin Commercial Services, and their overall commitment to an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

To learn more about the award-winning partnership, we spoke with Jeff Curry, plant manager at Tarrier Foods. Here is an edited transcription of that interview.

Why is Tarrier Foods deserving of the Gold Medal™ IPM Partner Award?

“We work hard every day to give our customers quality and safe products. Pest control is a big part of that commitment. We make sure our facility is clean to help discourage any pest activity. We’re a food facility so food safety is the most important part of our business.”

Why is IPM so critical to Tarrier Foods’ business?

“We don’t want to introduce any unnecessary chemicals into a food environment. Our IPM program helps us identify issues that might attract pests, so we can fix them proactively and focus on pest prevention. Orkin’s Gold Medal™ Protection program allows us a more in-depth look into pest management documentation and trending so we can closely monitor food safety and quality.”

How does each partner contribute to the pest management efforts at the facility?

“We have a really great partnership with our Orkin pest specialist. He’ll do whatever he can to go the extra mile for us and make sure that we have everything we need. We’re always informed of potential pest issues in the facility. Orkin is great about providing sanitation and facility maintenance suggestions to help us advance our pest control efforts and preserve quality.”

What results has your award-winning partnership achieved?

“Our partnership with Orkin gives us more than just the basics of pest management. It’s helpful to have another set of eyes on the plant that can identify possible pest pressures our staff might not see on a daily basis. Plus, our local Orkin branch manager regularly reviews the program for any additional improvements. We’re audited about 15 times a year, so having the extra support is critical to our food safety.”