Rats and mice in supermarkets
Activities of rats and mice in more than one supermarket
It's not often that food safety events lead the 6 o'clock news (TVOne 13 February). CCTV cameras in supermarkets have provided incontrovertible evidence of the quite brazen activities of rats and mice in more than one supermarket. Rats and mice are experts at evading capture and have plagued our native wildlife and food stores ever since they alighted from the first waka and Captain Cook's Endeavour. Getting rid of them can be very difficult, though New Zealand has become a world expert at eliminating them from offshore islands, defensible peninsulas (like Miramar, Wellington) and fenced sanctuaries, as progressive steps towards a predator-free New Zealand.
As is well known, rats and mice carry many diseases that can spread to people directly, through handling of the rodents, or indirectly from eating food that has been contaminated with rodent faeces, urine, or saliva. Disease-causing bacteria reported to be associated with rats and mice include Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia, Listeria, Staphylococcus and Leptospira. Disease-causing viruses include Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV). Not surprisingly, humans have an atavistic horror of eating foods that may have come in contact with rodents.
Published on: 16 February 2024
