Internal audit, Food Safety Glossary

A planned check carried out by the business itself to confirm its food safety system is being followed and works. An internal audit is a systematic, self conducted review in which a food business checks its own food safety system against what it is supposed to be doing. It compares actual practice with the written procedures, food safety program and legal requirements, to confirm the system is being followed and to find gaps before an external auditor or inspector does. Internal auditing is a form of verification. It goes beyond routine monitoring by standing back and examining the whole system: are records complete, are critical limits being met, are corrective actions being carried out, and are staff following procedures on the floor? The findings, including any non-conformances, feed improvements and support a due diligence position. In an Australian business, an internal audit is often carried out periodically by the food safety supervisor or manager using a checklist based on the food safety program or Standard 3.2.2A practices. It typically involves reviewing temperature logs and cleaning records, observing staff, checking thermometer calibration and confirming corrective actions were completed. The value of an internal audit is in acting on what it finds. Non-conformances should be recorded, their causes investigated through root cause analysis where needed, and improvements tracked to completion. Done regularly, internal audits mean external inspections and third party audits hold far fewer surprises. Each quarter a Newcastle catering company's food safety supervisor runs an internal audit against a checklist, reviewing records, watching food handling and testing thermometer calibration. The audit finds two minor gaps in cleaning records, which are corrected and used to update the cleaning SOP before the next external audit.