FSSC 22000 Internal Audit Checklist

Food Safety Management System (FSMS) personnel may use an FSC 22000 internal audit checklist to conduct and validate their Food Safety Management System implemented within their company, as part of their preparations for external audits from ISO certification bodies.

The FSSC 22000 standard stipulates additional requirements, such as sector-specific pre-requisite programs. This differs from the GFSI recognized ISO 22000 standard which only stipulates minimal prerequisite programs.

1. Operational Procedures

An FSSC 22000 internal audit checklist can assist companies in verifying that their food safety management systems meet FSSC 22000 requirements. The checklist allows companies to review all procedures, constructions, records, personnel and premises to make sure everything adheres to FSSC 22000 specifications.

An important part of an FSSC 22000 internal audit checklist is evaluating the competency of people involved with the system. All employees involved with an FSMS should have sufficient training and education in order to perform their assigned tasks successfully.

An audit checklist for food safety FSSC 22000 auditing can be created quickly with the right software tools. DataMyte, for example, makes this easy by offering drag-and-drop functionality for creating any form or checklist template you may require – plus managing all quality and safety audits from one central hub, making resolution of any issues up to four times quicker than traditional methods.

2. Constructions

Internal auditing is the first step to ensure your organization’s food safety management system complies with international standards, as well as to prepare for an external ISO audit conducted by an expert third-party auditor.

This checklist asks questions regarding your food safety plan’s implementation, whether or not it meets FSSC 22000 requirements, and checks if there is an established procedure for planning, executing, and reviewing an FSMS system.

This FSSC 22000 audit checklist has been specifically created to assist food organizations prepare for an ISO certification audit conducted by an independent third-party certifier. It features frequently asked questions by certification bodies as well as key areas in your food safety management system that require attention.

3. Records

Failing to properly record and document information is one of the main causes for nonconformance during a food safety management system audit, with failure to keep proper records for pest control programs, training manuals, staff qualifications, hazard analysis/risk evaluation procedures, food safety procedures and supplier monitoring being among them.

Digital platforms like DATAMYTE make creating and implementing FSSC 22000 audit checklists simpler than ever. Through its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, users can create quality management forms and checklists to track any aspect of their business.

An efficient internal audit process is key to successfully passing an FSSC 22000 inspection, and using digital quality management platforms can speed up these audits up to four times faster, so businesses can identify and address issues more promptly.

4. Personnel

If your company aims to successfully pass an FSSC 22000 audit, its staff should be prepared. That means providing proper food safety management system training, as well as having a thorough knowledge of what the standard requires of them.

Internal audits place special importance on this aspect, with many questions concerning your procedures for identifying training needs as well as training and verifying employee qualifications being investigated in depth. Another consideration here should be how your company fosters and encourages a culture of food safety at your organization.

5. Premises

Audit checklists designed for food safety management systems that comply with FSSC 22000 are an indispensable resource in ensuring their effectiveness, helping identify nonconformities, improve efficiency and track performance.

One of the main causes for nonconformance with an FSSC 22000 audit is insufficient monitoring of supplier compliance with their Food Safety Management System (FSMS). Furthermore, auditors may raise concerns over unclean or contaminated equipment like condensation dripping from overhead lines, peeling paint or caulking on dock doors and improperly sealed floors that violates standards.

DATAMYTE is a low-code workflow automation software that makes creating and conducting FSSC 22000 audit checklists simple with its pre-built template. In addition, this platform also facilitates conducting layered process audits – an in-depth examination of those critical processes which pose the highest risk of failure or noncompliance – so schedule a demo today to learn more!