Internal Food Safety Audits
At MacEwan Associates we are qualified Food Safety Consultants who offer a variety of audits and audit support services . Available audits and audit support services include: Internal Food Safety Audits, Due Diligence Audits, support to auditors, we offer mentoring to staff undergoing their auditor training and provide solutions and support to businesses who need to make changes to their food management systems. We can also complete Supplier Audits on a business’s behalf, giving you the confidence that your supply chain is safe and secure.
What is an Internal Food Safety Audit?
An Internal Food Safety audit is a review of your businesses food safety system or systems against major Global Food Safety Initiative audit schemes such as the BRCGS. An internal audit helps ensure your business is ready for important external audits such as those conducted for BRCGS or SALSA certification.
Who can conduct an Internal Food Safety Audit?
Internal Food Safety audits can be conducted by either a qualified food safety consultant, such as ourselves, or a trained and qualified member of your staff.
The benefits of conducting an Internal Food Safety Audit
There are numerous benefits to conducting an Internal Audit including:
Helps to create confident staff when important external audits take place
Improved overall business standards
Ensures business compliance with the latest Laws and Regulations
Food safety naturally becomes integrated into all business processes
Allows the business to be ready for unscheduled external inspections
Allows the business to be ready Supplier Audits.
What areas are included and addressed in a Food Safety Audit?
When conducting an audit, we will typically review the following areas:
- Labelling and traceability of supplier products
- Cleaning and maintenance of premises and equipment
- Personal Hygiene
- Goods in and Storage Procedures
- Pest Control and Waste
- Processes for thawing, cooking, cooling and reheating
- Packing and Transportation
- Adequate Staff Training
- Change Management
Each of these areas will be evaluated through a combination of looking, observing, questioning staff and listening. Rest assured that when questioning your staff our auditors ensure they take the time to ask a combination of open and closed questions to help ensure that your staff don’t feel interrogated.
How long does an Internal Audit take?
Audits typically take around 2 days to complete and should be scheduled at least once a year to ensure standards are maintained and help staff to remain confident with the auditing process.
What happens once an Internal Audit has been completed?
Once an internal audit has been completed, your food safety consultant will write a report which outlines any areas for the business to improve. Once the report is complete, we’ll arrange a meeting to discuss any areas needing improvement and devise a strategy to help you implement these changes and ensure readiness for all types of external audit!