The intent of all audits is essentially to confirm two things:
A thorough gap audit will assess both the adequacy of your system against your particular standard, as well as your actual compliance to the procedures detailed in your system. This can be carried out either as an onsite gap audit, or an offsite document review.
A gap audit can also be used as a ‘practice run’ for an unannounced GFSI audit to find any system gaps and to help prepare your team.
If you need more information, you can read our blog – “How to best prepare for an unannounced audit”.
When it comes time for their initial certification audit, many businesses are unsure if they are actually ready.
We can provide support & confidence by conducting an onsite gap audit of your entire system. This will identify any deficiencies and corrections which need to be addressed prior to your certification audit.
We’ll work closely with your team to ensure your system documentation reflects exactly what you do and how you do it.
By involving your team we’ll improve their understanding of the process, ownership of the system, build their confidence and get everyone audit-ready.
Often clients request us to conduct an offsite document review for a gap audit. This is helpful to identify system deficiencies well ahead of an audit so that any changes can be made and properly implemented ahead of time.
If you choose to have us conduct an offsite document review, this will require your onsite team to complete the implementation of any new procedures or procedural changes prior to your certification audit.
Internal audits are a mandatory requirement for all certified food safety systems. The frequency of your internal audits will be determined by the requirements laid out in your particular certification programme.
Internal audits are intended to improve your system and for you to find your compliance gaps prior to an incident or having a non-conformance raised in an external audit.
They should be much more than just a hurried, ‘tick a box’ exercise done just before an external audit. In fact they are a great opportunity to:
All without the pressure of having an external auditor present.
We can work with you to reinvigorate your internal audit program so that you get the most from your investment in your food safety system.
We can provide the expertise to conduct a professional, independent review of your suppliers, contract manufacturers or contract packers to verify the capability of their food safety systems.
We can conduct a focussed audit tailored to your specific needs and provide a thorough report on our findings.
All independent reviews would include an assessment of their HACCP plan, GMP & traceability as a minimum. If you have any specific concerns or requirements we can investigate those for you as well.
We’ve worked with manufacturing clients to design audit criteria for them to use when assessing the suitability of potential contract manufacturers. We’ve also mentored their teams so they have the knowledge and confidence to conduct the audits themselves.
We’ve conducted numerous supplier audits of grain packing and logistics facilities to assess their suitability for use by our clients.
If you’ve had adverse customer feedback, a pending regulatory inspection, a consumer or trade recall, you need to respond quickly. The reputation of both your brands and your business is at stake.
We provide expert, confidential support to investigate food safety incidents. We’ll deliver independent evaluations and provide practical solutions tailored to your situation to resolve the issue.
In the event that we aren’t able to help you directly, we will be able to refer you onto colleagues who can provide expert legal advice.
Don’t hesitate to call us if you need an urgent response.
We’ve worked with a high profile restaurant client to assess & review their practices and processes for several high risk menu items following customer feedback.
We’ve also worked with several manufacturers to determine the underlying causes of product contamination by undertaking a thorough root cause analysis. This can also include documenting a corrective action plan to share with regulators or your downstream clients.
We know compliance checks can feel overwhelming, so we bring a calm, friendly & supportive approach. We’re focused on improving your business, not just ticking off requirements.
We’ll work with your team to pin point underlying causes of food safety risk and suggest strategies to de-risk the area of concern. This may include advice on regulatory food safety compliance issues.
We can perform your supplier audits for ingredient suppliers, contract manufacturers or contract packers. Our thorough, independent evaluation will ensure your food safety requirements are met.
We’ll coach your team on effective auditee techniques and managing external auditor expectations to build their confidence. We can also train your team in how to conduct best practice internal audits which really benefit your business.
