Key terms
Audit
An audit is asystematic, independent, documented process for obtaining evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled.In this case, audit criteria relates to the relevant food safety standard. Food safety audits include both validation and verification activities.
Auditee
An auditee is the organisation or business that is being audited.
Control measures
Control measures are actions and activities that can be used to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
Control points
Control points are steps or workstations in the production process where the process can be controlled for either food safety or quality reasons.
Corrective actions
Corrective actions are actions to be taken when the results of monitoring at the CCP indicate a loss of control.
Critical limit
Critical limits are criterion which separate acceptability from unacceptability.
Correct Action Request (CAR)
Corrective Action Requests, or CARs, are typically defined as major, minor or critical. The definitions of compliance are set by the food safety audit standard.
Critical Control Point (CCP)
Critical control points are a step at which control can be applied and is essential to prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an acceptable level.
Food safety plan
- a program set out in a written document and retained at the food premises of a food business that systematically identifies hazards
- identifies where in the operation the hazard can be controlled
- provides for the systematic monitoring of those controls
- provides for appropriate corrective action to be taken when the system is found not to be in control
- provides for the regular review of the program to ensure its adequacy
- provides for appropriate records to be kept to demonstrate action taken in relation to, or in compliance with, the food safety plan.
HACCP based food safety program
A HACCPbased food safety program identifies and analyses food safety hazards in a food business and establishes methods of control of hazards that are effectively supervised and monitored.The program defines remedies where a hazard is not under control and keeps records. For more information on food safety programs refer to Chapter 3 of the Australian Food Standards Code.
Food safety risk
Food safety risk refers to the chance of something happening that will have an impact on food safety.
Food safety standard
Food safety standards are part of the Food Standards Code. Non-regulatory standards describe the requirements to be met in order to manage the risks associated with handling food.
Food safety system owner
The food safety system owner is the organisation or business that establishes and manages the food safety scheme and may include both regulatory and commercial owners.
Food Standards Code (FSC)
The Food Standards Code is the over-arching document that describes all the provisions to be met by food businesses. It has four chapters:
1.General food standards
2.Food product standards
3.Food safety standards
4.Primary production standards.
The Food Standards Code is developed and maintained by FSANZ.
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Good manufacturing practices are a combination of manufacturing and management procedures, rules, steps or precautions that are implemented by all personnel, at all times, with the objective of ensuring that the ingredients and products are not damaged, deteriorated or contaminated, in order for the final products to be consistently manufactured to meet specifications and customer expectations that the food is safe and wholesome.
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)
Hazard analysis critical control points, or HACCP, is a system which identifies, evaluates, and controls hazards which are significant for food safety.
Hazard
A hazard is a biological, chemical or physical agent or factor with the potential to cause an adverse health effect.
Hazard analysis
Hazard analysis is the process of collecting and evaluating information on hazards and conditions leading to their presence in order to decide which are significant for food safety and therefore should be addressed in the food safety plan.
Monitor
Monitoring is the act of conducting a planned sequence of observations or measurements of control parameters to assess whether a control point is under control.
Process
A process is a sequence of events that leads to the creation of the final product.
Prerequisite Programs (PRPs)
Prerequisite programs are also referred to as support programs, or acronyms such as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP).
Prerequisite programs can be divided into 2 categories:
1.infrastructure and maintenance programs
2.operational programs.
Infrastructure and maintenance programs may include:
- layout, design and construction of buildings and facilities
- supplies of air, water, energy and other utilities
- equipment including: preventative maintenance, sanitary design and accessibility for maintenance and cleaning
- support services including waste and sewage disposal.
Operational prerequisite programs may include:
- personal hygiene
- cleaning and sanitation
- pest control
- measures for the prevention of cross-contamination
- packaging and labelling procedures
- supplier assurance
- chemical storage
- employee training
- maintenance
- calibration
- document control
- internal audit programs
- traceability and recall programs
- on-farm food safety schemes
- inspecting and testing regimes, including analytical and microbiological testing.
Regulator
The Regulator is the government agency responsible for enforcing legislation.
Risk analysis
Risk analysis is a systematic process to understand the nature of and to deduce the level of risk.
Scope of operations
The scope of operations are the food handling/manufacturing activities that the auditee conducts and is responsible for.
Standard
A standard is similar to audit criteria which is a set of policies or requirements against which collected audit evidence is compared. AS/NZS ISO 9000 (Int):2000.
Validated
The process of obtaining evidence to confirm that a HACCPbased food safety program is complete and effective and will deliver the expected food safety outcomes is known as validation. In order to do this, the business uses scientific evidence to support the selected methods of control. Examples of evidence include:
- existing (Australian) legislative requirements
- challenge tests
- peer reviewed scientific papers
- targeted scientific reports
- validation already carried out in other jurisdictions and recognised by the responsible authority
- mathematical modelling (eg predictive microbiology models)
- industry codes of practice (where implementation by food business is verified during audits).
Verification
Verification confirms that methods and procedures used to monitor achievement of food safety, including sampling and testing, are correctly and consistently implemented.
Acronyms
AIFST –Australian Institute of Food Science Technology
BRC – British Retail Consortium
CAR – Corrective Action Request
CCP – Critical Control Point
FSANZ - Food Standards Australia New Zealand: The Federal Government Department responsible for regulating the Australian food industry
FSC – Food Standards Code
FSP – Food Safety Plan
GAP – Good Agricultural Ppractice
GHP – Good Hygiene Practice
GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice
HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
MSDS –Material Safety Data Sheets
PPE – Personal Pprotective Eequipment
PRP – Prerequisite Program
NFSA – National Food Safety Auditor Scheme
RABQSA International – an international certification body for auditors
SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
SQF2000 – Safe Quality Food (Certificate) 2000
WQA –Water Quality Association
Food Safety Auditing Toolbox 1
Glossary