A food safety audit is a structured check, done at the plant, of how a food business identifies and controls hazards. It covers the written system, such as the HACCP plan and records, and the reality on the floor, such as hygiene, pest control and how product is handled.
Audits come in three types. A certification audit is done for a scheme such as BRCGS or FSSC 22000. A second-party audit is done by or for the buyer. An internal audit is done by the plant itself.
What a good audit covers
- Hazard analysis and HACCP: the hazards named for each product and the controls set against them.
- Prerequisites: building condition, hygiene, water quality, waste and maintenance.
- Pest control: contractor reports, trap maps and evidence on site.
- Raw material control: where material comes from, how it is checked and stored.
- Process controls: sieving, magnets, metal detection, sterilisation and their records.
- Testing: what is tested in house, what goes to outside labs and how results are used.
- Traceability: a live trace from a finished lot back to raw material.
- Complaints, recalls and corrective actions.
- Staff: training, hygiene practices and protective clothing.
What a buyer's audit adds
A certification audit checks a standard. Your own audit checks your risks. For Indian spices and seeds, that usually means looking hard at adulteration, residue control, the ethylene oxide question and whether the plant really processes what it sells. A trader with a nice office cannot pass a plant audit because there is no plant.
A buyer's audit should also check capacity, cleaning equipment, storage conditions and who the real owner is. The full structure is in what a factory audit should contain.
Signs worth noticing on the day
- Records that look too neat, or filled in with the same pen on the same day.
- Sterilisation logs with no matching temperature charts.
- Raw material stored on the floor, near walls or near chemicals.
- Bird or rodent access in godowns.
- No working lab equipment for moisture or basic checks.
- Reluctance to show certain rooms or warehouses.
Product audits and how often
Each product has its own critical points. Dehydration plants turn on drying, sorting, sterilisation and hygiene. Grinding units turn on raw material control, adulteration and sterilisation, as in how to audit a spice grinding factory.
Audit before the first order, then on a regular cycle, for example once a year. Audit again when something changes: a new product, a new line, a new owner, or a serious complaint. Between audits, use lot testing and loading inspection to check that standards hold. Quality often slips after the first shipment, as covered in why quality drops after the first container.
How we help
We audit Indian processors in person against your product and market, with photos and a written report. We share the real factory name and the findings, including the uncomfortable ones. Start with a free sourcing review.