Audit food safety management procedures in food and drink operations

This standard is about the skills and knowledge required in order to audit the food safety management procedures. It involves auditing operations to assess compliance with food safety standards.

You will need to be able to prepare for audits and implement audit processes consistently.

This standard is for you if you work in food and drink operations or animal feed operations and your job requires you to have responsibilities for quality control and/or audit. You may have responsibilities for managing an operational team.

Prepare for food safety management procedure audits

1. confirm and agree the defined scope of the audit against the food safety management procedures

obtain relevant documentation in accordance with organisational requirements

3. notify colleagues and team members as to the nature and focus of the audit in accordance with organisational requirements

coordinate activity with other technical staff engaged with the audit process in accordance with organisational requirements

Undertake audits

5. undertake audit of operations in accordance with organisational procedures

audit the review dates of the food safety management procedures to check that the process is active

7. examine sample records for completeness and compliance with relevant legislation and compliance with the system being audited

examine and review customer complaints, previous audit reports and other relevant information to obtain a historical perspective

9. examine the level and content of training provided for staff in key roles

Check compliance

10. confirm that the food safety management procedures are up to date and approved by the organisation for use

check that food safety management procedures are based on the specified food safety standards and meet legislative and customer requirements

12. check that markings are applied to products for identification, status and legal and traceability purposes

assess traceability systems in line with legal requirements

14. observe a sample of operations for compliance with specified standards

1. the type, range and purpose of records applicable to the specified food safety management system
2. the audit processes and procedures applied within the organisation
3. what represents Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) within the organisation
4. the critical points and critical control points relevant to the defined scope of the audit
5. the roles, responsibilities and levels of authority of members in the food safety management team
6. the expected role and responsibilities of an auditor
7. the relevant regulations, legal requirements and certification requirements for the type and nature of operations being inspected
8. statutory regulations relating to operations under inspection
9. the expected standards and their application
10. what constitutes non-compliance and the relative implications for food safety and for the organisation concerned
11. relevant actions and non-conformances and how to review them and close them out
12. auditing practices, including 2nd and 3rd party inspections
13. recording, reporting procedures and making recommendations relating to quality control and internal audits