Food Standards Auditing (BRC, HACCP, ISO FSSC, Hygiene Packages)

Course details

With greater consumer awareness of food hygiene and safety issues the need is greater than ever for food processors to develop and maintain effective food safety management systems. To effectively manage the HACCP systems, they need to be reviewed and audited (verified) on a planned frequency by trained auditors. Many internal audits are conducted in a haphazard manner providing very little useful information. As BRC Issue 6 identified supplier approval as one of the three areas of major expansion, second party auditing of one’s supplier, particularly high risk suppliers, is increasing in importance. Understanding the audit process is essential to efficiently audit, particularly when the audit duration may be limited.

Food and drinks companies are now subject to many regulatory and customer food safety audits. European Regulation 178/2002 requires HACCP as a legal requirement in all food business operations. Third Party Certification against the BRC protocol or ISO 22000/PAS 220 is now almost mandatory for food businesses who wish to trade with European retailers and further processors of branded product. Effective auditing is the key to maintaining compliance with these standards.

A HACCP System is defined by the U.S. Food & Drugs Administration, (FDA), as ‘The

firm’s HACCP related activities including HACCP training, Prerequisite Program and HACCP Plan.’ This model of a HACCP system has effectively been updated by ISO 22000 with the introduction of the concept of operational prerequisites.

This HACCP System model is effective in controlling food safety hazards as long as it is managed effectively via focused auditing. The prerequisite element of the HACCP system i.e. cleaning, personal hygiene, plant equipment and services etc. may often be overlooked with companies focusing most of their audit resources on the CCPs. This auditing course will focus on auditing of prerequisites, operational prerequisites and the CCPs to ensure the overall food safety management system is effectively managed.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this training course, delegates should be able to:

• Understand the requirements of a Food Safety Management System – HACCP System
• Know the requirements of the BRC Technical Standard – Issue 6, International Food Safety Management System ISO 22000/ ISO 22002 (FSSC) and other relevant Irish food safety standards IS 340, IS 341
• Understand the importance of effective auditing (first, second or third party) of a food safety management system focusing on areas of greatest risk
• Design an Internal Audit Program and audit effectively against this program
• Carry out audits as an individual or part of a team by understanding the Audit Life Cycle
• Prepare an organization for third party assessment
• Use data collected during audit to improve the management of food safety
• Undertake a second party audit

Entry Requirements

• Attendance at the SQT Training Ltd HACCP Development, Implementation & Verification (two-day course)
• or
• HACCP or other Food Safety Management System (two-day) qualification - equivalent to NFQ, Level 5. Proof of Certificate and details of course (including learning outcomes and content) to be supplied with application.
• or
• Degree/Masters (NFQ level 7-9) in the fields of Food Science/Microbiology/Food Safety, plus one-years' experience of working with HACCP or other Food Safety Management System at (Quality) Manager level. Proof of Certificate and details of experience (including projects, etc) to be supplied with application.

Course Programme: Total Contact hours = 17 Hrs Workshop + 29 Hrs Assessment

• Course Introduction and objectives
• Food Safety Legislation – 178/2002, 852/2004
• Food Safety Standards, ISO 22000, ISO 22002, PAS 220 (FSSC)
• Pre-Requisite Program
• HACCP Plan Development
• (12 steps addressing the 7 CODEX principles)
• BRC Technical Standard
• Type of Audit
• Audit Cycle / Internal Audit Schedule
• The Audit Process
• Audit Planning & Preparation
• The Audit Team, Auditor Behaviour, Auditor Qualification
• Day Two 9am to 6.30pm
• Audit Checklist / Audit Toolkit
• Auditor Interviews
• Conducting Meetings
• Audit Execution
• Analysis of Audit Findings:
• Non-conformance
• Corrective Action
• Audit Report
• Case Study
• Task 1) Prepare for and conduct Opening Meeting
• Task 2) Systems Audit
• Task 3) Compliance Audit
• Task 4) Prepare for and conduct Closing Meeting
• QQI Level 6 examination
• Course Review