Preventive pest management in food processing
Built and formalised a technical monitoring system, first at a dairy plant and then across food industry customers at Palmera Junior since 2007.
Food safety audits and standards
Certified internal auditor across six international standards, including ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 22000, who advises customers preparing for high-stakes audits.
Shared responsibility and structural prevention
Helps customers see that audit findings usually trace back to unsealed entry points and weak waste management, not only to the pest control provider.
Snake relocation and biodiversity
Champions specialised relocation and repellent services in Colombia and trains technicians to handle snake encounters safely.
Toxic-free and digital pest control
Advocates adhesives, live-capture traps and biocides only as a last resort, and is now focused on SMART digital monitoring for large industries.
Preventive pest management in food processing
Built and formalised a technical monitoring system, first at a dairy plant and then across food industry customers at Palmera Junior since 2007.
Shared responsibility and structural prevention
Helps customers see that audit findings usually trace back to unsealed entry points and weak waste management, not only to the pest control provider.
Toxic-free and digital pest control
Advocates adhesives, live-capture traps and biocides only as a last resort, and is now focused on SMART digital monitoring for large industries.
Food safety audits and standards
Certified internal auditor across six international standards, including ISO 9001, 14001, 45001 and 22000, who advises customers preparing for high-stakes audits.
Snake relocation and biodiversity
Champions specialised relocation and repellent services in Colombia and trains technicians to handle snake encounters safely.
Oscar Martínez has worked in pest management in the food industry since 2004, when a laboratory internship at a dairy company put him in charge of its pest control program. In 2007 he joined Palmera Junior, where he applied the same methodology across food industry customers. He holds an international master’s degree in pest control from Spain and is a certified internal auditor across six international standards. Today he is Branch Manager for the Santander region and advises customers on preventive pest management and audits.
Reaching food processing standards in Colombia, with Oscar Martinez, consultant in preventive pest management, food safety, and quality management.
Oscar Martínez’s journey in the food industry began in 2004 with a laboratory assistant internship at a dairy company. In a twist of fate that would define his career, the production manager assigned him to the company's pest control program, a critical responsibility that had previously been managed by someone with no technical knowledge.
Oscar took up the challenge and significantly improved the pest management program, implementing technical monitoring, validating reports, and formalizing the entire system. He managed all that while finalizing his food engineering studies.
Customer empowerment
Oscar's passion lies in empowering customers to think proactively. A certified internal auditor across six major international standards, including ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and 22000, he regularly provides expert consulting to customers navigating high-stakes audits.
He notes that the challenge is intensified because auditors themselves are frequently unfamiliar with specific Colombian regulations, such as Decree 1843 from 1991, erroneously assuming the external provider bears 100% of the responsibility.
Year-round pest pressure in a tropical climate
Operating in Colombia presents unique biological challenges. The tropical climate means flies, German cockroaches, and rodents are a year-round threat, alongside seasonal surges of mosquitoes during the rainy season and stored grain pests in outdated mill infrastructures.
Furthermore, because Colombia is home to approximately 10% of the world’s snake species, many of which are venomous, Oscar has helped champion specialized relocation and repellent services at Palmera Junior, ensuring technicians are trained to handle these encounters safely.
“We are very active in educating the public about the importance of protecting biodiversity. Snakes play an important role in maintaining the balance of our ecosystems, yet most people just want to find the fastest way to get rid of them.
We educate customers and the public about the importance of relocating reptiles instead of eliminating them. However, only trained technicians have the knowledge and the skills to do so safely,” Oscar says.
Sharing knowledge with the industry
To foster this digital transition and share his knowledge, Oscar is actively involved in industry education. In addition to publishing articles on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on the Palmera Junior blog, his branch is organizing a major, customer-focused educational event scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.
Apart from his deep commitment to technical excellence and auditing, Oscar remains highly attuned to global industry trends, actively monitoring local market insights to ensure Colombian food manufacturers stay ahead of climate shifts and changing regulatory landscapes.