Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
should be viewed as a continuous process, whether to educate new hires; to give
employees a refresher on the plan; or to get feedback on what works, what does not,
and what can be improved. An audit standard may require that someone in the opera-
tion will receive specifi c training in food safety or HACCP and that someone must
attend meetings throughout the year in order to maintain certifi cation to that
standard.
Documentation
If it ' s not documented, it didn ' t happen.
Properly documenting observations during an audit is as important as the actual
observations themselves, because it provides the only source of information an auditor
can review with regard to an auditee's adherence to a food safety plan. These records
are vital in demonstrating an auditee's compliance with established food safety regula-
tions, if an auditee is ever investigated by a local, state, or federal health department
or agency. Most audit standards outline the documentation that is required and the
documentation that the auditee identifi ed as necessary during the development of its
food safety program. Many local cooperative extension services and commercial audit
companies have developed templates that can assist the auditee in preparing to prop-
erly document activities. In all cases, documentation should be legible, clear, concise,
and to the point to provide the auditee and the auditor a clear picture of what happened.
A good rule of thumb for documentation is to cover the “Five Ws and H” of investiga-
tive journalism; the
w
ho,
w
hat,
w
here,
w
hen,
w
hy, and
h
ow. All documentation and
records should cover these questions to facilitate the auditor's evaluation of the
process. Figure 17.1 provides a sample training record that answers the Five Ws and
H: Who was trained, What they were trained to do, Where and When they were trained,
Why they were trained, and How they were trained.
Internal Audits and Third-Party Audits
Internal audits and third-party audits both serve as a way to make continual improve-
ments to the food safety plan. Continual improvements assist the auditee in making
sure that the food safety program does not become out of date or obsolete.
Internal Audit and Verifi cation
Once the food safety plan has been implemented, the auditee should perform internal
audits of the operation to verify that the food safety plan is being followed properly
and working out as it was intended. Internal audits are an excellent way for manage-
ment to “shake down” the plan and make sure that it is working effectively. If some-
thing is found not to be working, it gives management an opportunity to address the
issue and fi x it before an outside auditor comes in. It may take several internal audits
to work out the kinks in a newly implemented food safety program, but once the
program has been established, internal audits may need to be performed only routinely
on a yearly basis or whenever there is a major change in the operation that affects the
identifi ed risks in the food safety program. In some audit standards, internal audits
are a required component of a food safety program. Internal audits should be docu-
mented, including the results and any corrective actions taken, if necessary.
