Food safety and hygiene: auditing & testing

Access to optimal amounts of nutritious, safe, and healthy food is important for overall wellbeing. Unfortunately, an estimated 600 million, i.e. 1 in 10 people, suffer from illness every year due to contaminated food. Unsafe food contains harmful viruses, bacteria, chemicals, parasites and other substances that are known to cause over 200 diseases, including diarrhoea and even cancer. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), contaminated and unhygienic food results into over 420,000 deaths every year globally.

As a result, maintaining high levels of food hygiene and safety has become imperative to build trustworthiness, stay compliant, ensure overall safety of the public, and for business sustainability. The growing interest of modern consumers on food quality, nutrition and safety has forced the private and public food sectors to devise stringent food security and quality standards. And audits are an integral component to ensure the safety standards are diligently followed and the processes are in compliance with statutory regulations.

There are several reasons why organisations must regularly perform comprehensive food safety and hygiene audits:

To evaluate the management systems and processes like raw material procuring, production, packaging and supply
To assess the condition of the manufacturing & storage facility, and the products
To obtain food safety and hygiene certifications
To stay compliant with regulatory standards
To build transparency in maintaining high levels of efficiency, safety, and hygiene
To improve customer trust and reliability
To identify, control and respond to health risks associated with contaminated and unsafe food

What does a food safety & hygiene audit cover?

Before we understand what a food safety audit typically comprises of, let’s evaluate the audit structure first.

Audits in the food industry can be classified in three ways:

1st Party: This is self-assessment audit, i.e. the organisation internally evaluates the management strategies and procedures to determine whether they are compliant with regulatory standards and meet business objectives.
2nd Party: These are proprietary audits that help verify the performance of contractors or suppliers.
3rd Party: Third-party food safety audits are conducted by independent auditors, i.e. who are not directly associated with the auditee. This is often performed as compliance audit and for the purpose of certification.

Based on the type of food safety audit being performed, it includes a comprehensive assessment of:

Building structure
Documentation, records and monitoring
Cleaning and hygiene schedule
Facilities and equipment
Personnel hygiene
Emergency procedures
Storage areas
Product handling and food display
Temperature control
Supply chain
Pest control
Training, supervision and instruction
Product and process audits
Audit of equipment maintenance and hygiene
Supplier or contractor audit to reduce the risk of contamination from external sources

In addition to the above, third-party audits may also include regular food quality and safety audits, chemical and microbiological testing of food samples and food contact materials, and ensuring compliance during food production.

Supply chain audits are also performed to spot potential bottlenecks in the process and evaluate the end products in real world conditions to determine its safety and customer satisfaction.

Post audit, a comprehensive report is prepared based on the status of existing processes, safety & hygiene, and scope for improvements.

Steps to conduct food safety and hygiene audit:

Discussed here are the key steps to perform comprehensive food safety and hygiene audit:

i) Planning: Food safety audit planning begins with setting a clear objective. Another integral aspect of planning is determining the audit scope, i.e. which areas need to be targeted. Planning should also include cost and resource considerations.

ii) Execution: With audit, you can get assess the status of your quality management system and operations in real-time. It helps identify the problems that may arise now, i.e. it takes a proactive approach rather than reactive. Identifying areas where preventive strategies can be implemented as well as focusing on audit findings can help improve operational efficiency and prevent problems in the future.

Companies often use audit tools in the execution phase to develop a thorough and systematic approach to food safety audit.

iii) Preventive and Corrective Actions: Gathering audit information with problem descriptions and proper documentation can provide valuable data with actionable insights. Comprehensive documentation with monitoring data can help determine the success of preventive and corrective actions taken by you.

iv) Verification: In this phase, it is crucial to evaluate how efficient are the preventive and corrective actions, and whether they are complying with regulatory standards and your management strategy.

v) Audit Evaluation: It is one of the most steps of food safety and hygiene audit – evaluating and validating the success of the audit process. Even the audit process should comply with your business objectives and statutory audit schedule.

Conclusion:

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Hygienically clean workwear

Compliant textiles for all food employees – always on hand when you need them.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Comprehensive audits are crucial for evaluating management systems and processes such as raw material procurement, production, packaging, and supply. They help assess the condition of manufacturing and storage facilities, ensure compliance with regulatory standards, and build transparency in maintaining high levels of efficiency, safety, and hygiene.

Food safety audits can be classified into three types:

First-Party Audits: Internal assessments conducted by the organization to evaluate compliance with regulatory standards and business objectives.
Second-Party Audits: Proprietary audits performed to verify the performance of contractors or suppliers.
Third-Party Audits: Independent audits conducted by external auditors to assess compliance and identify areas for improvement.

A food safety and hygiene audit typically focus on a wide spectrum of operational areas that can influence product safety and overall hygiene. This includes evaluating the cleanliness and condition of facilities, the adequacy of staff hygiene practices, and the maintenance of equipment. Auditors examine how well hygiene schedules are followed, how food is handled and stored, and whether temperature controls are effectively managed. The audit also investigates documentation and traceability systems, pest control measures, and the training levels of employees. Each of these aspects collectively determines whether an organization is meeting required safety benchmarks and minimizing contamination risks.

Conducting an audit is a structured and multi-phase exercise that starts with comprehensive planning, where the objectives, scope, and logistical considerations are clearly outlined. During execution, auditors assess operational systems in real time, identifying any gaps or non-compliance issues that may affect safety or quality. This is followed by the implementation of preventive and corrective actions, where problems are documented, and solutions are systematically applied. The process doesn’t end there—verification is crucial to confirm whether the corrective actions are effective and compliant. Finally, a thorough evaluation of the entire audit ensures that the findings align with regulatory requirements and internal quality standards, reinforcing a continuous improvement cycle.

Regular audits help organizations stay compliant with regulatory standards and obtain necessary food safety and hygiene certifications. They provide a structured approach to identifying and addressing potential risks, ensuring that products meet safety and quality requirements.

Proper workwear is a key aspect of maintaining compliance with food safety and hygiene standards. Lindström provides workwear rental services, offering hygienically clean and compliant textiles for food industry employees. This helps prevent contamination and supports companies in meeting regulatory requirements.

Organizations can prepare by: