Mice love dry, prepackaged food like cereal, grains, rice, nuts and seeds. If you have this kind of food stored in paper or soft plastic bags, mice will easily chew right through it to get at the food inside. The best way to keep mice away from these products is to store them within a sealed, airtight, hard plastic container. Mice are also often attracted to the home because of left-out pet food. Dog or cat kibble left out in a bowl for long periods of time provide the perfect quick snack for a mouse, so always make sure you put away and store pet food properly. 

Prepackaged dry food isn’t the only kind of food that attracts mice, however. Mice love foods high in fat, protein and sugar, so they will go after deli meat, chocolate, bacon, butter, and fruit that have been left out. Grease stains, spills and crumbs in the kitchen also can bring in rodents like mice. 

When mice get into your food supplies or crawl around on your food preparation surfaces, they will often leave behind urine, droppings and other contaminants which can spread illnesses like hantavirus, salmonella, E. coli and tularemia. Keeping all food products stored in sealed, airtight containers and immediately cleaning up all crumbs and spills can aid greatly in keeping rodents away from your home.