With all the information on Food QA, I feel that this blog
is now getting into the area of audits and how to set-up a management system
compliant with a food safety audit. As
as start – what are the systems that a food manufacturer can be audited
against;
GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)
HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points)
HARPC (Hazard Analysis Risk-based Preventative Controls)Organic
Fair Trade / FLO
Rainforest Alliance
GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative - SQF, BRC, FSSC2200)
It is interesting that, until recently, most food
manufacturers did not need to have a HACCP program – by law. The US government is now requiring all
importers to have HARPC which looks to be equivalent to the GFSI schemes. I am sure that the Canadian Government will
follow the USA’s lead. The organizations
that have been pushing for more standardized / certified regulations have been the retailers
(Walmart, Costco, Sobeys, and the like).
The type of audits that are performed fall into three categories;
1.
First-Party Audits – the Company auditing itself
(Gap audits, glass and plastics audits, validation audits, pre-operation
audits).
2.
Second-Party Audits – A customer audits a
company (eg. Big Chocolate Convenience store auditing your donut manufacturing
facility).
3.
Third Party Audits – A certification body, with
a specific scheme/program, audits you so you can be compliant to the needs of
your customer or Government regulation (You are audited / certified under BRC
because Big Chocolate Convenience store wants all it’s food suppliers to be
certified to a GFSI standard) or (Organic audit to certify your product under
COR – Canadian Organic Regime).
