Elements and Performance Criteria
- Define the scope of the audit
- Identify audit scope and define the extent of the audit to meet legislative and audit client requirements
- Ensure audit criteria meet legislative and client requirements
- Ensure the definition and levels of non-conformity and related reporting responsibilities are identified as consistent with legislative requirements and client requirements
- Identify evidence required to address audit scope and criteria, and select appropriate collection methods
- Review food safety management system documents to determine adequacy for the purposes of the audit
- Plan the audit
- Develop an audit plan that includes definitions and levels of non-conformity to meet the audit scope
- Identify activities and responsibilities for the audit
- Identify audit timing, including timetable for each stage of the audit
- Identify resource, personnel and reporting requirements
- Identify follow-up and completion procedures
- Establish communication protocols to facilitate the effective exchange of information and suited to the auditee environment
- Conduct the audit
- Communicate information on the audit scope and methodology in an effective and timely manner
- Follow stages and activities of the audit process
- Review methods used by the food business to carry out preliminary work, identify food safety hazards and assess level of risk to confirm that they are appropriate and correctly applied
- Identify and evaluate evidence used by the food business to support identification of control measures and establish control limits to determine adequacy and relevance
- Review methods used by the food business to control hazards and determine corrective action where processes are identified as not meeting targets or critical limits to confirm they are adequate, effective and appropriate
- Collect evidence to confirm that the documented food safety policies and procedures are working effectively, reflect actual practice and are consistently applied
- Manage the audit process
- Monitor audit progress against the audit plan, and identify and address any variation to plan
- Identify and negotiate circumstances requiring the audit plan to be adjusted in a timely manner
- Ensure audits address audit scope and are conducted within time and resource constraints to meet quality and professional standards
- Review the audit process to identify opportunities for improvement
- Consolidate audit outcomes
- Analyse and assess evidence to identify any areas of non-compliance with legislation and/or client requirements as appropriate to the audit scope
- Identify and classify non-conformities as agreed by the audit plan
- Report non-conformities according to agreed client and/or legislative requirements
- Communicate audit findings to the auditee
- Prepare and submit audit reports and/or certificates or present as required to meet regulatory and client requirements
- Review corrective actions proposed by the auditee in response to non-conformances for compliance with the template or food safety program
- Review audit findings to confirm that evidence is appropriate and sufficient and findings are accurate
- Review the food safety management system to identify areas of potential improvement of the system according to audit scope
- Confirm and close out corrective actions