A food hygiene audit, also called a food safety audit is a visual inspection of the production facilities of food for human and non-human consumption. The basic premise of such an inspection is to inspect for potential contamination of food by looking for obvious signs, such as: visibly contaminated products, open and rotting food, obvious contamination by insects and flies, dirty equipment, etc.
The food hygiene audit’s objective is to identify how a facility maintains adequate hygiene for the production of safe products for consumption. This can be done through visual observations and through the collection of data in forms such as surveys, records, and reports. If the hygiene standards of a facility are found to be inadequate and unsafe for human consumption, this may mean that food produced is unsafe for sale or consumption and must be destroyed or returned to the plant for refund or disposal. For a BRC Audit, visit MQM, a leader in the BRC Audit.
It is the responsibility of the facility’s management to ensure that proper hygiene standards are maintained throughout the production process for foods intended for human consumption. If these standards are not maintained, consumers and other organisations could be exposed to increased health risks and the possibility of contaminated food being eaten by people around the world.
These audits serve many important purposes, including preventing the loss of product, costs associated with remediation, and an ability to improve the quality of the products being produced while still maintaining manufacturing efficiency. As a result, it is absolutely vital that facilities take an honest and thorough look at their operation in order to ensure that it is operating in an appropriate manner. By doing so, facilities may be able to reduce foodborne illness outbreaks, injuries, and death rates, and substantially increase the profitability of their businesses.
