Food Safety
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Food Safety
  • NEWS
    • Latest News
    • White Papers
  • PRODUCTS
  • TOPICS
    • Contamination Control
    • Food Types
    • Management
    • Process Control
    • Regulatory
    • Sanitation
    • Supply Chain
    • Testing and Analysis
  • PODCAST
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Food Safety Five Newsreel
    • eBooks
    • FSM Distinguished Service Award
    • Interactive Product Spotlights
    • Videos
  • BUYER'S GUIDE
  • MORE
    • ENEWSLETTER >
      • Archive Issues
      • Subscribe to eNews
    • Store
    • Sponsor Insights
  • WEBINARS
  • FOOD SAFETY SUMMIT
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Contact
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!

Food Safety

Do third-party audits need a revision?

Food and beverage companies often view audits as something to pass instead of necessary improvement tools

By Richard F. Stier, M.S.
food safety audit

The essence of an audit should be documenting how a processor manages risks, helping the company improve and assuring its customers. A checklist isn’t enough.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

September 29, 2020

Third-party audits are a fact of life in today’s food processing industry. They are also an integral part of doing business. Food and beverage processors, ingredient suppliers and packaging manufacturers must successfully complete audits to maintain supplier relationships and be accepted as a new supplier. 

Ideally, companies should view audits as an integral element of their continuous improvement programs. Unfortunately, far too many operators view audits simply as something that they have to pass. 

I have conducted audits on six continents. One question that I have been asked all over the world is, “What score do we need to pass?” This indicates that the company is a bit unclear on the concept. Not everyone has adopted this attitude, however. Another response that I prefer is: 

“We really don’t like these audits, but we realize that they are a necessary part of doing business, so we welcome them as a tool for improving our food safety management system.” 

Among the many different audit schemes, there are four processor-focused Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) schemes, plus a number of private schemes. The GFSI benchmarked schemes, including SQF (Safe Quality Foods), BRC (British Retail Consortium), IFS (International Federated Standard) and FSSC 22000 are the gold standards for food safety. A large number of other schemes are industry dependent, and may or may not have undergone review by GFSI and are truly private audit schemes. 

Here are a few possible audit goals: 

  1. Assuring the safety of products, raw materials and packaging.
  2. Meeting the demands of current and potential customers.
  3. Identifying food safety management system gaps to continuously improve.
  4. Informing customers and potential customers about a processor’s operations. 

However, the industry should ask itself one question with each audit scheme: Does it need revised? There is a disturbing trend with some audit schemes evolving (some say devolving) into what are called checklist audits. 

A checklist audit is just like it sounds. The auditor looks at the operation and evaluates each element on his or her checklist by checking the box under that section. Depending upon the audit, the boxes might read, “yes, no or not applicable” or “fully compliant, partially compliant or not compliant.” 

The auditor can complete a checklist more quickly and does not have to be as well-educated or trained. It takes more education and training to properly conduct an assessment than to check a box. 

As an example, let us suppose a company has a critical control point or process preventive control that requires a validation study. The auditor should have the ability to properly evaluate the validation study. Was it properly done? Did the group doing the validation select the proper test organism, or did they do the necessary heat distribution studies? 

The auditor should not simply check a box that says that the company has established a program in an area. Rather, the auditor should have the skills and knowledge to critically examine the program and assess whether all the elements and programs comprising the food safety management system are effective. The lack of an assessment is the audit report is perhaps the most significant weakness in checklist audits. This is especially true since the audit is usually shared with existing and potential clients. Receiving a report that describes different elements as being “fully compliant” or “partially compliant” tells the reader very little about what goes on in suppliers’ operations. 

Another element vanishing from checklist audits is a detailed description of the evaluated company. The audit report should include complete information on the processing facility, including size, construction, products, work schedules, products manufactured, and other details about the site and grounds. 

Reading through third-party audit reports in the last few years has become quite frustrating. The lack of a description about plants and food safety management systems, along with endless pages listing audit elements with no supporting details, provides no real understanding of the operation. This lack of detail leads some buyers, whether processors or market chains, to conduct their own audits—something that I fully understand. 

Perhaps the greatest concern is the checklist audits’ simplicity makes it easier to “just pass the audit,” as many are looking to do. Operators may not focus on excellence and only meet basic requirements. This attitude is counter to a basic HACCP principle: strive to continually improve food safety programs. How can a prerequisite program, such as cleaning, be done better? Faster? More efficiently? 

So, the industry is doing itself no favors by accepting checklist audits. Processors would do better to encourage audit firms to be more critical and eliminate the checklists.
This article was originally posted on www.foodengineeringmag.com.
KEYWORDS: audits HACCP preventive controls

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Richard stier 200px
Richard F. Stier, M.S. is a consulting food scientist who has helped food processors develop safety, quality and sanitation programs. He believes in emphasizing the importance of how these programs can help companies increase profits. Stier holds degrees in food science from Rutgers University and the University of California at Davis. He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine.


Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • people holding baby chicks

    Serovar Differences Matter: Utility of Deep Serotyping in Broiler Production and Processing

    This article discusses the significance of Salmonella in...
    Methods
    By: Nikki Shariat Ph.D.
  • woman washing hands

    Building a Culture of Hygiene in the Food Processing Plant

    Everyone entering a food processing facility needs to...
    Food Prep/Handling
    By: Richard F. Stier, M.S.
  • graphical representation of earth over dirt

    Climate Change and Emerging Risks to Food Safety: Building Climate Resilience

    This article examines the multifaceted threats to food...
    Management
    By: Maria Cristina Tirado Ph.D., D.V.M. and Shamini Albert Raj M.A.
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Subscribe to eNewsletter
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Website Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Food Safety Magazine audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Food Safety Magazine or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • mold
    Sponsored byIFC

    Tackling Mold Remediation in Food Processing Plants

  • a worker in a food processing plant
    Sponsored byLPS® DETEX®

    How a Beverage Facility Improved Food Safety and Compliance with Detectable Packaging Solutions

  • Two men standing in a produce storage facility having a discussion.
    Sponsored byOrkin Commercial

    Staying Compliant With FSMA

Popular Stories

sunflower oil

Louisiana Passes ‘MAHA’ Bill Targeting More Than 40 Ingredients, Including Seed Oils, Dyes, Sweeteners

smoked salmon in oil

Study Shows Food Type Significantly Affects Listeria’s Ability to Survive Digestion, Cause Sickness

Justin Ransom and Denise Eblen

USDA-FSIS Announces Dr. Justin Ransom as New Administrator

Events

July 15, 2025

Hygienic Design Risk Management: Industry Challenges and Global Insights

Live: July 15, 2025 at 11:00 am EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn the importance of hygienic design to ensure food safety and sanitation effectiveness.

July 22, 2025

Beyond the Binder: Digital Management of Food Safety

Live: July 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm EDT: During this webinar, attendees will learn best practices for the use of digital food safety management systems across industry and regulatory agencies.

August 7, 2025

Achieve Active Managerial Control of Major Risk Factors Using a Food Safety Management System

Live: August 7, 2025 at 2:00 pm EDT: From this webinar, attendees will learn about changes to the FDA Food Code, which now includes a requirement for FSMS. 

View All

Products

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

Global Food Safety Microbial Interventions and Molecular Advancements

See More Products
Environmental Monitoring Excellence eBook

Related Articles

  • auditor with clipboard looking at soda bottles on production line

    The Importance of Internal Audits

    See More
  • food manufacturing bread stock

    Facilities Focus: Manage Your Physical Plant as a Prerequisite

    See More
  • technologist looking at screen for equipment in dairy factory

    Building a Rigorous Calibration Program

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 1119258073.jpg

    FSMA and Food Safety Systems: Understanding and Implementing the Rules

  • Food-Forensics-3D.jpg

    Food Forensics Handbook Practice, Instrumentation, Case Studies

  • food safety.jpg

    Food Safety Contaminants and Risk Assessment

See More Products

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • March 4, 2025

    Navigating Food Safety Audits: Expert Tips and Best Practices

    On Demand: This webinar will explore the importance of audits, the types of audits to anticipate, and step-by-step guidance to ensure a seamless experience
View AllSubmit An Event

Related Directories

  • Safe Food Alliance

    Safe Food Alliance is a full service food safety partner. We offer laboratory testing, training and consulting services, and third party audits through our sister company Safe Food Certifications.
  • QIMA/WQS

    QIMA/WQS offers food safety and audit solutions, from farm to fork through GFSI-recognized certifications (PrimusGFS, GLOBALG.A.P., SQF, and BRCGS), second-party audits, sustainable protocols (USDA Organic, SMETA) inspections, and training.
×

Never miss the latest news and trends driving the food safety industry

eNewsletter | Website | eMagazine

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing