Why Surprises and Food Safety Can Mix

By: Robert L. Garfield, Senior Vice President, SQFI

Food safety experts in the food retail industry aren’t big fans of surprises. A surprise can mean a food recall or customer concerns, so we generally like to avoid them by staying informed and on top of our game. But sometimes a surprise and food safety can mix.

When it comes to food safety audits, we at SQFI have learned that unannounced audits can be a necessary surprise. These unanticipated visits are very important to keeping SQF-Certified suppliers ready at all times. That’s why we require one out of every three SQF audits to be unannounced.

This trend of keeping food safety professionals audit ready is growing. Just this summer, Walmart announced they are, “encouraging all stakeholders and our suppliers, where appropriate, to move towards unannounced audits against GFSI benchmarked schemes.”

SQFI developed its unannounced audit protocol to prepare our clients for the future of third party accredited assessments, which are in line with food safety management expectations of industry stakeholders and consumers.

SQFI continuously seeks ways to improve our program and processes. Our goal is to be the single most trusted source for global food safety and quality certification. Visit SQF Unannounced Audit Protocol FAQ more details.