Audits are a key component of maintaining food safety systems and certification to prove to your customers and consumers that the site is following best practices and ensuring production of safe, quality foods. An audit is intended to create transparency in the supply chain, enhance food safety while focusing on continuous improvement. Through the process of program development, implementation, and verification, the preparation for being audited – is no small feat. The team must learn to work in ways that they may not have encountered before such as; documenting actions taken, obtain additional training, and increase the level of communication between departments. Ultimately, the goal is to work in collaboration, follow defined processes and enhance understanding of requirements at all levels. This systematic process, when followed can also help to build a culture of food safety and ensure the team is audit ready every day.
Audits are an important part of the food supply chain?
So it begs the question, if audits are such an important part of the food supply chain…why do we fail or perhaps not do as well as we would hope for you? There may be many factors that contribute such as lack of management commitment, resource challenges, and/or inexperience of the team. Although once we have overcoming some of these earlier hurdles to audit success, we need to shift to thinking more like an auditor and improve our preparation skills. The following Do’s and Don’ts checklist can be one step in understanding what actions you and your team can take or not take before your next audit and why they are important.
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Tips to Prepare for Your 2022 Food Safety Audit
Watch this on-demand webinar with Denise Webster, Food Safety Expert with SAI Global Assurance to be more prepared for your 2022 audits.
Lastly, the finer points of preparing, navigating, and succeeding during audits will take time and experience. Remember it’s a journey to challenge and grow the site’s food safety program through a commitment of growth, team support, and working to create a stronger food safety culture – to be audit ready, every day!