Content relating to Food Safety

It is impossible to be too prepared for a food safety audit and every audit presents an opportunity for your facility to continually evolve to be better. Audits are not an end in themselves, nor are they a time for pointing fingers and finding fault. Audits do not start because an auditor arrives to perform them. Rather, audits happen because the purpose is to determine if your system is working as it should. Audits identify gaps and shortcomings, after which the team has an opportunity to make any corrections necessary to align with the food safety program so that the process is safe, effective, efficient and consistent throughout all locations. When a strong food safety culture is embedded in an organisation, half the work of audit preparation is already done.

Food safety management systems don't stop evolving as soon as they are implemented. They must continue to morph and change along with business growth and changing dynamics. If a food safety system is not continually evolving and improving to stay effective, it no longer serves the purpose of safeguarding the staff, customers and consumers. In this blog, we will uncover how to achieve a successfully established food safety management system, and 6 tips to improve your food safety management system and audit scores.

Watch our on-demand webinar for an overview of the changes in BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9

The launch of BRCGS Food Safety 9 represents a huge milestone in the development of the Standard – now the leading global food safety programme with over 22,000 certificated sites across more than 130 countries.

There is certainly considerable time, effort and investment committed to establishing and implementing an effective food safety management system, however at this point, the work has only just begun. Maintaining an effective food safety program that grows and develops with the business is as fundamental to ongoing operations as anything else the business may do. Systems and processes must be constantly monitored, assessed, and evolved in the pursuit of excellence and all of it must be underpinned by a healthy and deeply embedded food safety culture.

As a Costco-approved Certification Body, SAI Global is committed to delivering best-in-class audit experience in alignment with the Costco requirements and can offer a combined GFSI audit.

The industry approach to food safety has evolved in recent years, with food safety seen now as more about culture and less about ticking boxes as the gold standard. Though food safety can be measured in traditional ways, culture is much more instinctive and less specifically defined. The key is to translate the complexity of audits, documentation, and directions into practical strategies and measures that everyone can understand.

Food consumers today are more concerned than ever with the integrity and quality of the goods they buy. Smart businesses are learning compliance isn’t just a ‘must-do’ to maintain product safety and keep the regulators at bay.

A strong food safety culture helps your organisation achieve one of its most important goals: satisfied customers enjoying and sharing your product with family and friends, safe in the knowledge that it’s from a trusted brand.