FOOD SAFETY AUDITING

Audits are a crucial component of maintaining food safety standards and certification, by providing transparency and assurance that standards are being maintained. This transparency increases the collaborative capacity of stakeholders across the supply chain, and enhances safety, efficiency and continual improvement within individual organizations.

Whether you are a seasoned audit participant or new to the game entirely, there is always room for growth and development within your audit process. Auditing does not just have to be just a necessary component of certification or business – it can also be a great opportunity to drive value within your organization.

There are numerous reasons why organizations conduct food safety audits. A food safety audit is a structured evaluation of a food business’s food safety system. It is conducted to ensure that all practices are in accordance with the appropriate food laws and regulations1. The audit checks the adequacy of a business’s food safety program, whether the business is following all parts of its program, and whether the business is complying with the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code.

The audit involves a food  safety auditor checking that a business is complying with its food safety program, the applicable Code standards, and the Act2. The auditor also ensures that copies of the food safety program and records are available on the premises at all times and that all relevant documentation supporting the food safety program is available for the auditor to view.

Proprietors of food premises must engage a department approved auditor, ensure that copies of their food safety program and records are available on the premises at all times, and make available all relevant documentation that supports the food safety program for the auditor to view.

The audit must be conducted by a department-approved food safety auditor certified as competent to conduct an audit of such a premises. The frequency of audits is declared by the Act and depends on whether a food safety program has been complied with during the period covered by the audit, whether it is still adequate at the date of the audit, and whether the business has completed all required records.