Ants and Food Safety: What to Discard After an Infestation

You open a cupboard to find ants crawling over the sugar, the biscuits and a packet of flour. What can you save and what should you throw out? Ants walk through drains, soil and rubbish and can carry dirt and germs, so a bit of caution is wise.

This guide gives practical food-safety guidance. When in doubt, throw it out.

The short answer

Discard open food that ants have crawled over, entered or infested, especially sweets, sugar, jaggery, flour, cereals, biscuits, snacks, cooked food, fruit and anything with ants inside or around the food. Food in intact, sealed, airtight containers, cans and jars may be safe after you wipe the outside, but check the seal. Do not simply pick the ants out of contaminated food. Wash utensils and surfaces, clean the storage area, then deal with the ants' trail and source so it does not happen again.

Why caution matters

• Ants travel through soil, drains and waste before reaching food.
• They can leave contamination on food and surfaces.
• Some ants carry bacteria on their bodies.
• Once ants have gotten into open food, contamination cannot be reliably removed.

Discard

1. Open packets of sugar, jaggery, flour, grains, cereals, biscuits, snacks and sweets with ants in or on them.
2. Cooked food, curries, dairy and anything left uncovered with ants on it.
3. Fruit and vegetables heavily infested, or cut produce left uncovered.
4. Pet food and treats with ants inside.
5. Honey, jam or syrups with ants inside the jar.

Usually safe after cleaning

• Sealed cans and jars, after wiping the outside, if undamaged.
• Food in airtight containers that ants clearly did not enter, after wiping.
• Fruit with firm skins that you will wash and peel.

Use judgement, and be cautious in households with infants, pregnant women, older people or those with weak immunity.

What not to do

• Do not pick ants out of open food and eat it.
• Do not freeze or heat infested food in the hope of making it safe.
• Do not use pesticides on or near food.

Clean-up

1. Empty the cupboard or area, and discard contaminated items.
2. Vacuum ants and crumbs.
3. Wash shelves and surfaces with warm soapy water and dry them.
4. Wash utensils, containers and jars.
5. Wipe the outside of sealed items.

Stop it happening again

• Store food in airtight containers.
• Clean spills and sticky rims.
• Find the trail and use bait outside the food area.
• Seal gaps, and fix leaks.
• Take out waste daily.

Health note

If you develop stomach upset or fever after eating contaminated food, see a doctor.

When to call a professional

If ants keep getting into food, a professional can find the nest and treat safely.

Frequently asked questions

Is sugar with ants safe if I boil it?

We advise discarding it.

What about a few ants in the jar?

If they got in, the contents are contaminated. Discard.

Can I eat food after ants walked on the packet?

If the contents are sealed, wipe the packet and check it.

Do ants spoil food?

They can contaminate it.

This guide is part of IPest's complete resource on ant control. For identification help, prevention and treatment options, see our full ant control guide for Bangalore.