Food Safety Magazine - June/July 2013

Process control
An internal audit entails much more
work. The idea is for the company to examine
all programs affecting food safety
to determine if they are working as designed
from a management perspective.
Internal audits must be linked to other
audit activities such as preoperational,
finished product or facility audits.
Many companies conduct regular
internal checks of the efficacy of their
Food Safety/Quality Policy
Good Manufacturing Practices, but
these still do not address all that is expected
in an internal audit. The expectations
for an internal audit are as follows:
• Each section that is being audited be
done independently
• Auditors have been trained and are
competent to audit
• The audit examines documented
procedures to determine that they
This plant is committed to the production of high-quality, safe and
wholesome foods that meet the expectations of our customer base. This will
be accomplished through the application of the basic principles of the Hazard
Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system, Good Manufacturing
Practices (GMPs), Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for production, packaging, shipping and
receiving. The facility will be operated to ensure compliance with all applicable
federal, state and local regulations.
This plant also is committed to education and training to ensure that all
personnel understand the procedures and programs necessary to ensure
quality and safety and so that the company not only can maintain our current
programs, but also can improve them.
are being properly followed
• The audit examines records to ensure
that monitoring and verifying activities
have been done as documented
• Persons have been trained and are
competent to do their work, and the
training records are available for
review
• Issues identified during the internal
audit are documented, and corrective
actions have been completed and are
effective
• Corrective actions developed by the
managers responsible for the area
being audited are reviewed to ensure
that the corrective actions are completed
and effective
And, like all elements of ISO 22000,
the results of the internal audit are an
integral part of the management review
and continual improvement.
This can be a real challenge for small
companies. Many elements make up an
FSMS: cleaning, water quality mainte-
(continued on page 72)
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