Audits

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).