The food industry is sailing through every hurdle by keeping safety a priority. No wonder every consumer is looking for healthy and safe products. Due to this, all food businesses have a moral as well as legal obligation to offer top-notch and safe goods. To maintain the decorum of food businesses, food safety audits come into the picture. These audits ensure that every food safety protocol is religiously followed. There are many other things involved in food safety audits, and because of this, food business owners often consider them a dreadful experience.
Know more about food safety audits.
A food safety audit is helpful in creating a transparent report related to the overall situation and food safety systems level in the food business. Plus, it pinpoints improvement areas and ensures that proper standards and regulations are met properly. These reports can be opted to enhance the food safety management strategy.
There are many other objectives of food safety audits, such as:
- To ensure legal compliance
- Food supplier request
- Enhance business objectives
- Regulatory requirement
- Certification audit
- Proper assessment of the industry’s condition and overall food business performance, and much more.
Different types of food safety audits
Food safety audits are of two different types: internal and external audits. The audit is conducted by an experienced and professional food safety manager who is employed within the business; it is known as an internal audit.
But it is performed by a third-party organisation, then it is subdivided into three categories, such as:
- First-party audit
Employees of the food businesses conduct it, evaluate the food safety systems, and offer points for improvement.
- Second-party audit
This is also known as a proprietary audit. It is conducted by a primary organisation or business related to your business. This is done to evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of the food safety management systems.
- Third-party audit
This is conducted by independent auditors or food auditing firms. They complete an assessment of the food safety management system as well as its operation status. This is done to get a certification.
Importance of food safety audits
Food safety audits play a huge role in ensuring the quality of food products. Here are some points that define the importance of food safety audits:
- Consumer safety
These audits are essential for securing consumer health. By assessing food safety standards, audits can help identify control points, improvement areas, and much more.
- Supplier control
Second-party audits evaluate the safety of their suppliers’ products as well as operations. This ensures that their suppliers are maintaining all the safety practices and reducing the chances of any contamination or substandard ingredients.
- Cost reductions
Food safety audits can enhance operations efficiency while optimising workforces and resources. This can further result in cost reductions.
- Regulatory compliance
Food safety audits ensure that every food business is following the regulations and set food safety standards. This is not only a legal obligation but also helps maintain the trust and confidence of the general public.
- Operational improvements
They even offer valuable insights related to the strengths and weaknesses of every food business’s operations. The audits help in understanding the areas for improvement.
What are the important areas inspected by food safety audits?
Here are some of the important areas inspected by food safety audits:
- Food safety management system
- Food preparation
- Sanitation and cleaning
- Waste management
- Hygiene of employees
- Facility design
- Storage of food
- Waste management
Quick checklist for food safety audit
Here are some important operations that should be included in every food safety audit’s checklist:
- Food safety management system
- Sanitation and cleaning
- Food storage
- Facility and equipment
- Food preparation
What steps should be followed to prepare for a food safety audit?
Food safety audits can be daunting. Sometimes, they can appear for unannounced inspections. This is the reason that it is essential to always be prepared. Here are some steps to be followed to prepare for a food safety audit:
- Review your knowledge about basic food safety. This will show your expertise and confidence.
- Make sure that all your food safety management systems are from prerequisite programs, as they are the main foundation of major food safety practices.
- Plan your comprehensive and properly documented HACCP/HARPC plan.
- Go through your documentation files.
- Go through the checklist to wind up the tasks.
- Plan an internal audit.
- Carefully train your team.
- Set up a timely food safety management plan.
Following all these steps will allow you and your team to be fully prepared and not to worry about surprise inspections. Being confident and well-equipped with every skill and knowledge will land your business in a good position.
How can SoftLogic help you with its Right Food Audit System?
No wonder every food business owner ensures that every rule and regulation is met. However, with advanced technology and various enhancements, it is impossible to handle everything manually. Thus, to help you out, SoftLogic has come up with the Right Food Audit System. This is specially designed and developed for food service departments.
It is a cloud-based system that will benefit the food service departments by allowing them to easily follow and comply with various food industry standards and proper implementation of food safety practices. This cutting-edge system offers various functionalities, be it optimising inventory, scheduled cleaning, or maintenance. It will cater to all the needs of food service departments.
SoftLogic’s ultimate aim is to simplify the operations of every food industry while enhancing its business growth. We have years of experience and offer customised software solutions. Our latest Right Food Audit System will streamline your operations related to food service. Plus, you will be able to revolutionise the way you manage your food business, which will lead you to the path of success.
