How to deal with insect infested Fortified Blended Food (FBF) such a (Corn Soy Blend, Wheat Soy Blend, MML, …)

Reviewed by Rick Hodges – NRI (March 2006)

FBF can sometimes arrive at WFP warehouses already infested by insects or it can become infested while in WFP stores. This document proposes a solution to save the food when this happens.

How Does FBF become Infested?

Blended foods are mixtures of cereal flours and other products. Cereal flours have a relatively short shelf-life and are highly susceptible to insect attack. For this reason they must be kept in fully sealed bags that prevent the entry of insects or of moisture. Blended foods are often supplied in triple-wall paper bags with a polythene inner liner, or in woven polypropylene bags with a polythene liner. Packed in this way the shelf-life can be more than one year.

However, from time to time, bags of blended food do become infested by insects. There are four possible reasons for this

• The blend was allowed to become infested by insects prior to sealing in bags,
• Manufacturing faults can result in bags that are not completely sealed, allowing insect entry
• The bags can be damaged in transit or in the warehouse, allowing insect entry, or
• Exposure to boring insect like Rhyzopertha dominica can result in holes in the packaging so allowing the entry of this and other insect species.