Food Safety Audits

Farm​​s commonly use third-party food safety audits to provide independent evidence that the farms are managing production and handling risks to minimize foodborne illness and other food safety hazards.

Third-party means that someone with no financial interest in either the farm or the company purchasing the produce conducts the audit. An auditor reviews the food safety plan to see that critical issues are addressed, and visits the farm to observe its practices to determine whether they are consistent with the food safety plan.

The USDA-Agricultural Marketing Service conducts food safety audits, as do a number of private companies. Specific requirements and costs of an audit vary depending on the provider and protocol used.

Many wholesale produce buyers demand that their suppliers pass a third-party audit to provide assurance that food safety risks are minimized. Current federal regulations do not require farms to pass food safety audits. Therefore, it is up to each grower to determine whether an audit will benefit his or her particular operation.

The resources below provide more information about audits, their cost, and how to prepare for one. Use them to help determine whether an audit would benefit a particular operation, which audit would be most suitable, and what steps to take if an audit is desired.​​

Resources   Title    Link    Institution or Agency     : :  ‎(3) USDA AMS Fresh Produce Audit Verification Program    Link USDA Produce Safety Alliance Resources List    Link Produce Safety Alliance Good Agricultural Practices for Small Diversified Farms    pdf Carolina Farm Stewardship Project  : : Food Safety Plan ‎(4) Write a Food Safety Plan from Penn State    Link Penn State Farm Food Safety Plan Writing Resources    Link Produce Safety Allliance Food Safety Plan for You (FSP4U)    Link University of Minnesota Food Safety Plan from Rock Spring Farm    pdf Rock Spring Farm Compliance Details javascript:commonShowModalDialog('{SiteUrl}/_layouts/itemexpiration.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}', 'center:1;dialogHeight:500px;dialogWidth:500px;resizable:yes;status:no;location:no;menubar:no;help:no', function GotoPageAfterClose(pageid){if(pageid == 'hold') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/hold.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'audit') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/Reporting.aspx?Category=Auditing&backtype=item&ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'config') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/expirationconfig.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;}}, null); return false; 0x0 0x1 ContentType 0x01 898

Useful Links   Title    URL    Equicert (none) Indiana Office: 765 589 3058. Ohio Produce Marketing Agreement http://opma.us Primus Labs http://primuslabs.com Produce Food Safety Services http://www.producefoodsafetyservices.com Quality Assurance International www.qai-inc.com Scientific Certification Systems www.scscertified.com Silliker http://www.merieuxnutrisciences.com USDA AMS - Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Audit Programs www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/gapghp Compliance Details javascript:commonShowModalDialog('{SiteUrl}/_layouts/itemexpiration.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}', 'center:1;dialogHeight:500px;dialogWidth:500px;resizable:yes;status:no;location:no;menubar:no;help:no', function GotoPageAfterClose(pageid){if(pageid == 'hold') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/hold.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'audit') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/Reporting.aspx?Category=Auditing&backtype=item&ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'config') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/expirationconfig.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;}}, null); return false; 0x0 0x1 ContentType 0x01 898