The NSW Food Authority has developed a new guide for food safety auditors who find themselves unable to visit operators due to COVID-19 restrictions on travel.
The Authority said its Remote Auditing Guide outlined the processes for regulatory food safety auditors to conduct a remote audit and explained the roles and responsibilities of auditors and licensees during a remote audit.
“Voice and video services will be used to collect evidence through one-to-one interviews, screen sharing to review documentation and records, and video observation of food safety processes,” the Authority said.
“All evidence will be reviewed and reported to support the audit findings and conclusions,” it said.
“A report will be provided once the remote audit is complete detailing the remote auditing methods used and will clarify the effectiveness of the audit in achieving the stated objectives.”
The Authority said remote auditing was now available for select licensed food businesses, including vulnerable persons’ facilities; cold food storage; dairy primary production; plant products; and seafood processing.
It said licensees were responsible for preparing technology, personnel and evidence as required by the auditor.
“It is advised that an audit plan is supplied to the licensee before a remote audit, which should be flexible enough to allow for changes as the audit develops,” it said.
“A remote audit will not be granted where it is deemed safe by an auditor to conduct an audit onsite.”
The Authority said it would review the guidance document as COVID-19 restrictions changed to ensure it remained fit for purpose.
The NSW Food Authority’s eight-page Remote Auditing Guide can be accessed at this PS News link.
