Industry perceptions of biological control in food manufacturing environments: A qualitative analysis of barriers and opportunities

Abstract Progressive withdrawal of synthetic chemical insecticides and evidence of resistance in important pest species have led to increased interest in biological control within food manufacturing environments. However, the acceptability of these approaches to industry remains largely unknown. We conducted an exploratory qualitative study comprising semi‐structured interviews with 17 food manufacturing professionals associated with 15 focal facility contexts in northwest England and north Wales (UK). Sentiment analysis was used descriptively to characterise attitudinal valence, while reflexive thematic analysis examined conditional acceptability, perceived barriers and potential routes to implementation. Sentiment analysis classified 40.7% of participant utterances as positive, 40.3% as neutral and 19.0% as negative. Participant accounts showed that willingness to consider any of the approaches was usually conditional on locations, controls or approvals. Five principal barriers were identified: (1) food safety and quality concerns, (2) retailer requirements, (3) health and safety considerations, (4) resistance to novel approaches and (5) negative connotations associated with biological terminology. Participants identified controlled trials, formal risk assessment, stakeholder education and evidence of efficacy and cost‐effectiveness as potential facilitators. These findings do not estimate the prevalence of these views across the wider food manufacturing sector. Rather, they provide exploratory evidence that some experienced UK professionals would consider biological control when supported by appropriate authorisation, operational evidence, contamination controls and engagement with retailers and relevant assurance stakeholders.