What Is a “Qualified Auditor?”…and Where Do I Get One?
In late 2007 and into early 2008, several of the world’s largest retailers announced a process change to their supplier networks. Effective almost immediately, the existing audit program used to qualify suppliers would no longer be accepted. Instead, based on product risk, many of the suppliers would have to discontinue any audits currently used and become certified under a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) audit scheme. Auditing represented a small segment of the food safety community until this announcement; in fact, it was often the realm of retired regulatory inspectors and consultants, and it certainly didn’t resemble the industry it is today. Experienced auditors who met the criteria for a certification audit became a highly coveted resource in a business where demand far outpaced supply, and it became imperative that all involved did whatever was needed to find any and all auditors who could execute these new audits (see “21 C.F.R. 117.3 Definition of an Audit”). Hindsight tells us mistakes were made all around as poorly trained auditors were rushed to execute audits in a tense marketplace.
Few understood the ramifications of ignoring details such as product category qualifications, as the primary focus was fulfilling the audit schedules necessary to keep store shelves full. Auditors worked hard to reduce the backlog, working at a pace that was brutal and unsustainable. Audit companies juggled everything possible to accommodate audit requests, bringing in anyone with even the remotest qualifications in auditing. A certification audit could cost as much as two to three times a regular audit, so it wasn’t long before these suppliers recognized some of these audits did not meet expectations, raising concerns over auditor competence and qualifications. Subsequently, initial rumblings about auditor competence began to float through the industry.