Third party audits can be stressful for everyone at the farm. Farm management and employees need to think about how they will react should something not go as planned during the audit. Growers need to understand that the auditor will allow for some corrective actions to take place during the audit, if they are reasonable and if they show the food safety plan in action.
For example: An employee exits the bathroom and does not wash their hands. The auditor would expect the supervisor to tell the employee to wash their hands before returning to work. If there is a situation that occurs during the audit that can be easily remedied every opportunity should be taken to do so. If the auditor deems a situation as “Immediate Action Required” the audit will end without an opportunity to resolve the issue during that visit. Additionally auditors will not give guidance on how to remedy a corrective action or an immediate action required, they will refer you to the Rutgers On Farm Food Safety team for information.
