Audits and Inspections

FSSAI Audits and Inspection form a crucial point in the Food Safety Management System (FSMS), which displays the level of compliance observed by the Food Business Operator (FBO) with FSSAI.

What are Audits and Inspections?

Audits comprise of :

  1. Gap Audits: Identification of loopholes existing in the premises in terms of food handling, preservation, infrastructure, training, etc.
  2. Hygiene Audits: Highlighting the hygiene of the premises, machines, and utensils used, personal hygiene, as well as maintaining the overall cleanliness of the site.

Inspections consists of :

  1. Self Inspections: Inspecting the site and identifying the non-compliances, with an evaluation score. This is done by checklists provided by the FSSAI.
  2. Third-Party Inspections: Either a registered government body (FSSAI) or private Food Safety Consultancy conducts Inspections at your site.

Benefits of Audits and Inspections For

Food Manufacturers

  • Understanding the Hygiene and the Compliance score of their premise.
  • Identification of the loopholes and their solutions.
  • Enhanced safety and quality standards that can be followed.
  • Production Production of the safe product for the consumers.

Brand Owners

  • Protection of Product’s brand.
  • Credibility and Quality assurance.
  • Competitive edge in the Food Industry.
  • Growth in Business and Consumers.

Restaurants

  • Awareness of the Compliance standards and the requisites.
  • Analysis of drawbacks in food processing operations and implementing effective solutions.
  • Facilitates improvement in existing flaws by adhering to FSSAI standards and regulations.
  • Ensures food safety and hygiene practices by staff at the premises.

Assumption & Realization

The Misconceptions :

  1. Audits and Inspections are only required for Hotels and Catering businesses.
  2. These do not affect the business certification and their food license.

The Facts :

  1. Audits and Inspections need to be documented as per the Food Safety Management System.
  2. Recurrent non-compliances can affect the brand equity and cancellation of business license.

The Solutions :

  1. Conduct regular audits and inspections of the premise, irrespective of the business nature.
  2. Maintain the documentation and work towards eliminating the non-compliances.