Food Safety Audits: Are You Prepared?
- AgriForaging Compliance Services
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 16
A food safety audit tests one thing above all else: whether your written system and your daily practice match. Strong audits protect the customer, protect your brand, and keep your operation running without disruption.
Why Routine Food Safety Audits Matter
A food safety audit is a structured review of your facility, products, and records against the rule set that applies to you. That may include 21 CFR 117 for preventive controls, 9 CFR 416 and 417 for USDA establishments, and the FDA Food Code at retail. Regular audits help you:
Prevent contamination and recalls by catching sanitation lapses, temperature abuse, and labeling errors before the product moves.
Strengthen consistency across shifts and locations so every lot meets the same safety targets.
Demonstrate transparency to buyers and regulators with complete records that stand on their own.
Avoid costly stops by finding small problems early and closing them with documented actions.
The real value is cultural. Audits build a habit of checking, documenting, and improving.
How to Prepare for a Food Safety Audit
Keep records current. SOPs, SSOPs, hazard analysis, training sign-in sheets, sanitation logs, maintenance logs, receiving logs, cooking and cooling logs, and calibration records should be complete, legible, and filed by date and lot.
Run internal audits. Use a schedule and a checklist that mirrors your external standard. Rotate auditors and interview staff.
Train with purpose. Each person should know the step they own, the limit they must meet, and what to do when something goes out of spec.
Verify suppliers. Maintain current COIs, third-party certificates, and required disclosures. Keep one up one back traceability.
Close the loop. Track findings to corrective actions and verify effectiveness. Note who did what and when.
Do a mock recall at least once a year and document the time to full lot reconciliation. Target 24 hours or less.
Common Findings
Incomplete or outdated documents or version control gaps
Missing or weak calibration and pre op records
Temperature control failures in receiving, cooling, or hot and cold hold
Cross contamination between raw and ready to eat areas
Labeling errors or undeclared allergens for the nine major allergens
Pest control documentation that does not match the site plan
Treat each finding as data. Record the cause, the correction, and how you will verify that it stays fixed.
Validation, Verification, and CAPA
CAPA means Corrective and Preventive Action. It is the closed loop you use to fix a problem and prevent recurrence.
Validation shows that a control can achieve the outcome, using studies, in plant data, or recognized guidance.
Verification shows that you ran the control as written, every time.
CAPA links a finding to a fix and to a follow-up check. Auditors look for this chain.
CAPA at a glance Finding → Containment → Root cause → Corrective action → Preventive action → Verification → Sign and date.
Fast example
Finding. Cooler at 47°F.
Containment. Move product. Discard food above time and temp limits.
Root cause. Failed condenser fan. No daily temp verification on this unit.
Corrective action. Replace fan. Add daily temp log for that cooler.
Preventive action. Add weekly maintenance check for all coolers and an alarm set at 42°F.
Verification. Thirty days of logs show 41°F or below. Technician report filed. No repeat events.
Auditor note Avoid retrain only. Show root cause and proof the fix held.
Partnering for Readiness
AgriForaging Compliance Services helps small and mid sized producers meet federal and state requirements with systems that match how you actually work. We audit, train, and tighten records, then build practical CAPA and follow up routines. Whether you operate under FDA or USDA, need HACCP development, or want a stronger internal audit program, we align your daily practice to the regulations you must meet.
Ready to strengthen your program? Contact AgriForaging Compliance Services to schedule an audit readiness review and move your facility to audit-ready, every day.
Comments