How to Prepare for a QUALITY ASSURANCE AUDIT at a Food Processing Plant

There are few types of QA Audits (Ex: ISO 22000, BRC, etc…). But in final “Keeping the system in place” is the KEY preparation for all kinds of QA audits and inspections. Whether there is an audit or not, the facility should always be “Audit Ready”.  

Audits

·          - Internal Audits

Facility conducts an audit it self

·        - Second Party Audits

Sometimes customer (buyer) needs to conduct an audit

·        - Third Party Audits

Audits based on certain certifications (Ex: BRC, FOS, etc…) and regulation authorities (Ex: Department of fisheries, government health authorities, etc…). These type of audits also called as regulatory audits.

         Completed and verified documents should be there when an auditor visits to the place. It gives the auditor the first impression that “You are organized”. Not only the documentation, the housekeeping should also be in good shape. If the facility’s quality assurance system always goes with the goal of “Audit Readiness” there will be no problem at all.

          Here “Housekeeping” does not mean only inside of the factory, it also include the factory perimeter (which includes waste water treatment plant, water source, external pest control system, etc…)

According to my view, there are three (03) phases for an Audit.

•          Pre audit
•          Audit
•          Post audit

Pre audit

          This includes the days within the period of few weeks before the announced audit date.

Conduct a self audit with regard to the standards of the audit. Prioritize and take corrective actions for the non-conformity observed. Double check the areas which observed non conformities.

Audit

          Auditor is not a special person if you are ready enough, so treat auditor like any other visitor, same procedure which applied to a visitor. (Ex: Signing of Visitor’s declaration, Hygiene policy, Uniforms, etc…) The person (may be a supervisor) who escort the auditor should have knowledge about every detail of the factory premises and production process.

Post Audit

          There should be two meetings. One meeting is led by the auditor (Also known as the “Exit Meeting”) and other meeting is just after the auditor leaves the factory premises. During those meetings, an overall audit response plan should develop with prioritized actions.