# Interest group forums > Pest Control Industry Forum >  2010 FIFA World Cup Expectations for the hospitality industry

## Affinity

With less than four months left to prepare for the single biggest event to hit the South African shores and more than 350 000 guests flocking to the country, most service providers in the hospitality industry are still unclear as to the expectations of their soon to arrive guests.  According to Swift Micro Laboratories (www.swift.co.za)Â¹, one of the major challenges with the 2010 FIFA World Cup  is the sheer unpredictability of fan numbers and their demands for specific foods or services â especially if one considers that in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany fed 21 million fans and sold 45 000 sausages each match day.  Just like fly by night operators are a concern when it comes to food safety, the same standards must apply for health and hygiene with regards to the hospitality industry as a whole.

In comparison with previous FIFA World Cup tournaments top international standards are expected across the board â especially with the more âbehind the scenesâ risk factors.  One of the less talked about aspects is that of risk management systems put in place by restaurants, food and accommodation providers.  Food safety, combined with hygiene factors are critical to the success of the experience provided for guests by accommodation providers.  âIn our attempt to help the hospitality and restaurant industries prepare for the up and coming World Cup, weâve embarked on an education drive to share local and international insights regarding risk management, which includes proper pest control, health and safety, and hygiene.  Whilst the major hotel and restaurant establishments have more access to service providers, the medium and smaller establishments are more likely to look at cost aspects when it comes to issues such as risk management,â says Quality Assurance Manager, Deena Govender from Rentokil Pest Control.  
Swift Micro Laboratories further mentioned in their report that the challenges that face companies catering for 2010 include product safety, cleaning and sanitation, pest control, product storage, processing and staff control.  Added to this, businesses need to determine how they will cope with 30 days of sustained peak business and whether existing protocols will be enough.  âWeâve seen from a seminar held last year that the increase of Bed Bugs should be a bigger concern this year with more people and the fact that people are carriers of pests â without knowingâ, says Govender.  With some establishments being forced to shut down for a period of time last year due to pest activities, the risk is exponentially higher this year.  Pest control is still seen as part of daily cleaning by some establishments, posing a huge risk as the treatment of pests is a highly specialized industry.  Weâre embarking on an educational campaign to ensure the smaller service providers receive all the support they need.

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## Dave A

> âWeâve seen from a seminar held last year that the increase of Bed Bugs should be a bigger concern this year with more people and the fact that people are carriers of pests â without knowingâ, says Govender.  With some establishments being forced to shut down for a period of time last year due to pest activities, the risk is exponentially higher this year.


I raised the bedbug threat here shortly after the convention Deena's referring to. Experience of big events around the world shows the risk is very real.

On the food safety front...

I think our visitors know they're coming to Africa, and to many of them it's the dark continent - so I wouldn't worry too much about high expectations. I'm pretty sure we'll do better than expected in the eyes of most. 

And against that background, our food standards are pretty good. We certainly don't have a bad reputation like Egypt, for example. Heck, they've even had tummy troubles named after them.  :Stick Out Tongue: 

That said, in terms of ensuring food safety standards and pre-empting potential hazards, a heck of a lot of our food handling establishments have got a long way to go. Those that are doing it properly, applying HACCP principles, are definitely still in the minority. 

We're still a long way from the goal of food safety reaching the corner hot dog boerewors roll stand.

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