5 Tips to Prepare for Your Food Safety Inspection

Food safety inspections can be stressful, especially if you, your team, and facility haven't taken the proper steps to prepare. Failing an inspection can be taxing on your organization, leading to fines, legal action, and decreased customer trust.  

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires routine inspections every five years for domestic non-high-risk facilities, and every three years for domestic high-risk facilities. Even if you’re not due for one, there could be other food safety inspections that can occur at unexpected times. 

Here are five tips you can use in preparation for your next food safety inspection.

How to Prepare for Your Next Inspection 

If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready, which is why preparing isn't just something you should do before a food safety inspection; it's a continuous practice to ensure consistency. Here’s what to focus on so your team won't be scrambling at the last minute. 

1. Understand the Standard – Start by exploring which food safety standard applies to your facility. To prepare your team, access AIB International's inspection standards for Prerequisite and Food Safety, Beverage Facilities, and Food Distribution Centers, among others. 
   
   
2. Develop an Audit Team – Rather than relying on an individual to scope out the whole facility, select a group composed of people with diverse backgrounds and roles to increase the likelihood of catching every opportunity for improvement. Your audit team should include members from Food Safety, QA, leadership, and the frontlines. Rely on each member to focus on specific sections of the standard to ensure compliance.
   
   If you're the only person with the capacity to take on this role, don’t despair. AIB International can assist, with support from Assign an Expert, our Inspection Only unscored inspection, and our how-to guide on Self Inspections for Beverage Plants. 
   
   
3. Audit Internally – This team should audit your facility together, one department or section of the standard at a time. Use your chosen standard as guidance during the audit to help assess your facility and team’s progress. Be curious about what you might find, and use the standard scoring system to objectively assess your facility and team. Doing so will provide insight into your facility’s risk, while directing opportunities for improvement.
   
   When auditing, take the necessities, such as a strong flashlight, a small notepad, and a pen. All of this should easily fit in your back pocket, freeing up both hands to conduct a more thorough inspection. If your facility allows it, utilizing a camera during your inspection can also provide value. AIB International’s International Auditing Techniques Instructor-Led Training course includes more about how to execute a successful audit. 
   
   
4. Train Personnel – The more personnel understand the importance of the inspection and its basic requirements, the more they can share the responsibilities and eventual successes. Including inspection standards in routine employee training will demonstrate the importance of preparedness from day one for new hires. This understanding of risk will help drive their involvement in applying successful corrective actions. 
   
   
5. Be Inspection Ready All the Time – With broad participation, your facility should be ready all the time, as preparedness will be a part of your facility’s food safety culture. This will also prepare teams for an unannounced food safety inspection, whether third-party or regulatory.

The Bottom Line on Food Safety Inspection Preparedness

Your preparedness for a future food safety inspection hinges on your ability to achieve organizational buy-in and provide your team with support for inspection success. Whenever confusion arises, AIB International has a number of resources that provide a roadmap for achieving and maintaining compliance with today's food safety standards.