ASC-PC / Knowledge Base / Glossary
Pest control & food safety glossary.
Plain-language definitions of the standards, regulations and technical terms you'll see across this site and on any pest control audit report: HACCP, BRCGS, FSSC 22000, SANS 10049, SANS 10133, Regulation R638, Act 36 of 1947 and more — each with a link through to where it applies in practice.
Jump to a section: Certification standards · South African law · Pest management terms · Chemical safety · Pathogens & disinfection · Digital records
SEC 01 / Certification Standards
The schemes your customers and certification body assess you against.
HACCP Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points
A systematic food safety framework that identifies where hazards, including pests, can enter a process and builds prerequisite programmes and monitored controls around those points. Nearly every certification scheme below is built on HACCP principles. See food & beverage pest control.
BRCGS Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standards
A GFSI-recognised certification scheme (formerly BRC) whose clause 4.14 sets detailed pest management requirements: risk assessment, station mapping, monitoring, trend analysis and full records. Read BRCGS pest control requirements explained.
FSSC 22000 Food Safety System Certification
A GFSI-recognised scheme combining ISO 22000 with the ISO 22002 prerequisite programme series. Pest control sits inside the wider management system, so it must be auditable end to end. Read FSSC 22000 pest control requirements.
ISO 22000
An international food safety management system standard requiring documented prerequisite programmes, including pest control, integrated with HACCP-based hazard analysis. Read ISO 22000 pest control requirements.
ISO 22002-1
The prerequisite programme standard underlying FSSC 22000, specifying what a pest control programme must cover: prevention, monitoring and eradication without compromising product safety.
SQF Safe Quality Food
A GFSI-recognised certification programme requiring a documented pest prevention programme, a scaled site map, an approved chemical register with safety data sheets, and trend analysis. Read SQF pest control requirements.
GLOBALG.A.P.
A certification standard for primary production and post-harvest handling, expecting hygiene, exclusion and monitoring in packhouses, stores and produce handling areas. Read GLOBALG.A.P. post-harvest requirements.
IFS Food International Featured Standards
A GFSI-recognised certification scheme used mainly by European retailers, with its own detailed pest management clause. Read IFS Food pest control requirements.
AIB International
A food safety inspection body whose Consolidated Standards use physical, often unannounced inspection to score pest management and good manufacturing practice. Read AIB International pest control standards.
Codex Alimentarius GHP
The international food code publishing General Principles of Food Hygiene (GHP), the baseline good hygiene practice framework most national and private food safety standards build on. Read Codex Alimentarius and pest control GHP.
Not sure which standards apply to you? Compare the major food safety standards side by side →
SEC 02 / South African Law & National Standards
The legal baseline every site in South Africa must meet.
Regulation R638 of 2018
The South African regulation under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act requiring food premises to be kept free of pests and their harbourage, with an effective, documented pest control programme maintained at all times. Read Regulation R638 pest control requirements.
Act 36 of 1947
The Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, which registers pesticides for legal use in South Africa and requires anyone applying them for reward to be a registered Pest Control Operator. Read Act 36 of 1947 explained in depth.
SANS 10049
The South African National Standard for food safety management applying good hygiene practice to food premises, treating pest control as a core prerequisite programme. Read SANS 10049 pest control requirements.
SANS 10133
The South African National Standard code of practice for the safe selection, storage, handling and application of pesticides by pest control operators. Every ASC treatment is aligned to it.
Certificate of Acceptability
The legal permit under Regulation R638 required for any premises handling food in South Africa, dependent partly on evidence of an effective, documented pest control programme. See hospitality & restaurant pest control.
SAPCA
The South African Pest Control Association, an independent industry body whose members, including ASC (member ASC797, verifiable here), agree to a code of conduct.
SEC 03 / Pest Management Terms
The words on every service report and audit pack.
IPM Integrated Pest Management
An approach that puts inspection, exclusion, hygiene and monitoring ahead of chemical treatment, using pesticides only as a targeted, last-resort tool. Read what IPM means for the food industry.
PCO Pest Control Operator
A person registered with the Department of Agriculture under Act 36 of 1947 as competent and licensed to apply professional pesticides. Ask any provider for their operator's registration certificate.
Prerequisite Programme PRP
The foundational hygiene and infrastructure controls, including pest management, that must be in place before a HACCP-based food safety plan can function at all.
Harbourage
Any place a pest can shelter, breed or hide undisturbed: a wall void, a drain, cluttered storage, or a gap behind equipment. Removing harbourage is more durable than any spray.
Trend Analysis
Graphing pest catch and activity data by device, zone and species over time so a rising trend is investigated before it becomes an infestation. Read why trend analysis matters.
Corrective Action
A documented root-cause fix and verification for a pest finding, going beyond re-treating the symptom to closing the reason the pest was there. Read corrective action & root cause in pest control.
Tamper-Resistant Bait Station
A lockable rodent monitoring or baiting device, fixed and numbered on a site plan, that protects children, pets and non-target wildlife from its contents. See rodent control.
Insect Light Trap ILT / EFK
A device using ultraviolet light to attract and catch flying insects, sited to intercept flies without drawing them toward open product. Read correct ILT placement.
Wood-Destroying Organism WDO
Termites, wood borer beetles and fungal decay organisms that damage structural timber, commonly inspected for and certified during property transfer. See termite control.
SEC 04 / Chemical Safety
What has to be on file for every product used.
L-Number
The registration number issued under Act 36 of 1947 that confirms a pesticide is legally registered for a specific use in South Africa. Off-label use of a registered product is still a contravention.
Safety Data Sheet SDS
A manufacturer document detailing a chemical product's hazards, safe handling, storage and emergency measures, kept on file for every registered product used on site.
SEC 05 / Pathogens & Disinfection
What environmental monitoring is actually looking for.
Listeria monocytogenes
A cold-tolerant pathogen that survives refrigeration, tolerates salt and hides in drains and damp niches. The primary target of specialist food facility disinfection. See disinfection services.
Enterobacteriaceae
An indicator bacteria family swabbed on food-contact surfaces. A rising trend signals slipping hygiene control before a specific pathogen is ever confirmed.
SEC 06 / Digital Records
How the paperwork actually gets to your auditor.
myASConline / My ASC Pest Hub
ASC's paperless client portal storing site maps, service records, trend graphs and chemical registers online, generating a complete, auditor-ready pack in one click.
One-Click Audit Pack
The complete, current evidence file, device map, trend graphs, chemical registers and PCO certificates, compiled from myASConline the moment your auditor asks for it. Read how the one-click audit pack works.
Next Step
Still not sure which standard applies to you?
Run the free audit readiness self-assessment, or book a site walk and we'll tell you exactly what your standard expects.