Jump to content

  • Quick Navigation
Photo

Do GFSI audits reduce food safety audits?

Share this

  • You cannot start a new topic
  • Please log in to reply
19 replies to this topic

Poll: Has the number of food safety audits decreased with the introduction of GSFI audits? (87 member(s) have cast votes)

Has the number of food safety audits decreased with the introduction of GSFI audits?

  1. Yes (22 votes [25.29%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 25.29%

  2. No (49 votes [56.32%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 56.32%

  3. Voted About the same (16 votes [18.39%] - View)

    Percentage of vote: 18.39%

Vote Guests cannot vote
- - - - -

Simon

    IFSQN...it's My Life

  • IFSQN Admin
  • 12,826 posts
  • 1363 thanks
880
Excellent

  • United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Manchester
  • Interests:Married to Michelle, Father of three boys (Oliver, Jacob and Louis). I enjoy cycling, walking and travelling, watching sport, especially football and Manchester United. Oh and I love food and beer and wine.

Posted 01 October 2014 - 07:35 PM

GFSI audits are now mandated widely; of course there are many benefits to certification, but the systems do take a lot of time and effort to develop and maintain.  The question is does the investment in time get paid back with a reduction of customer audits?

 

Please answer the October 2014 member poll and add your comments below.


Get FREE bitesize education with IFSQN webinar recordings.
 
Download this handy excel for desktop access to over 180 Food Safety Friday's webinar recordings.
https://www.ifsqn.com/fsf/Free%20Food%20Safety%20Videos.xlsx

 
Check out IFSQN’s extensive library of FREE food safety videos
https://www.ifsqn.com/food_safety_videos.html


Setanta

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,596 posts
  • 369 thanks
382
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female
  • Interests:Reading: historical fiction, fantasy, Sci-Fi
    Movies
    Gardening
    Birding

Posted 01 October 2014 - 08:02 PM

I can predict Caz's answer as NO!  :shades:


-Setanta         

 

 

 


cazyncymru

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • Banned
  • 1,604 posts
  • 341 thanks
130
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male

Posted 01 October 2014 - 08:37 PM

Put it like this, I have 7 potential retailer audits in the next 6 weeks (due to us making a seasonal product) so yes Setanta, your right, my answer is a big fat NO!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



Snookie

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,625 posts
  • 267 thanks
174
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female

Posted 01 October 2014 - 08:48 PM

That would be not only no.... H*#ll   No!  Think they have increased.  And to make it worse, now customers want you to use a particular auditing company.  No big deal if you only have one customer with a preference, but now most of them have a preference.   Think that is the new "in vogue" requirement. 


  • fgjuadi and Danica like this
Posted Image
Live Long & Prosper

RG3

    Grade - PIFSQN

  • IFSQN Principal
  • 501 posts
  • 169 thanks
76
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Interests:"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them" Albert Einstein

Posted 01 October 2014 - 10:58 PM

What has increased for me is the number of questionnaires I get. All at the end asking for a copy of my GFSI certificate and it does seem to keep them at bay (maybe they're just doing it as part of their customer approval program since the demand of being GFSI certified is on the rise). Some company's that think they're higher than you know what like to come over with a watered down version of a GFSI audit. On the other hand I have had (in the past) some customers come with ridiculous notions of what should be included in a Quality/Food Safety manual. I hate to admit but some suggestions have helped.

 

so my answer...Yes

 

Final Answer?.....Yes

 

sorry cazyncymru...I remember reading your comments on another post :yikes: .


  • Danica likes this

Slab

    Grade - SIFSQN

  • IFSQN Senior
  • 438 posts
  • 208 thanks
105
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:The Heel of the Boot
  • Interests:Reading (history, science fiction), Photography, drawing,food safety, metrology, TQM, hoplology, etc.

Posted 05 October 2014 - 10:20 PM

I still have the same number of audits per year (five regulatory, and one GFSI), however like RG3 I get pestered constantly by customers for "nickle and dime" things that do take a good amount of time. 

 

BTW, I tried to vote the poll and I get kicked out to the main page.  :tardis:  


Food Safety News  Marine Stewardship Council

 

"Some people freak out when they see small vertebra in their pasta" ~ Chef John


Snookie

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,625 posts
  • 267 thanks
174
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female

Posted 06 October 2014 - 12:33 PM

Yes, I also agree with RG3 and Slab.....the questionnaires and request for documentation can be almost a full job itself. 


Edited by Snookie, 06 October 2014 - 12:33 PM.

Posted Image
Live Long & Prosper

tsmith7858

    Grade - SIFSQN

  • IFSQN Senior
  • 262 posts
  • 52 thanks
10
Good

  • United States
    United States

Posted 06 October 2014 - 02:24 PM

Great poll!

 

As I am sitting waiting for 4 auditors to show up to perform a 3 1/2 day customer audit for the 2 products that we run for them one week a month, I think I have to say NO, NO, NO!!!

 

I can feel your pain Caz, my total audit days per year between GMP, GFSI, Customers have more than tripled since becoming certified to a GFSI accepted standard.  The funniest part of it is most of the customer audits are from the companies that required us to get the GFSI certification!   :angry2:

 

I stopped a presenter in her tracks in June at a GFSI meeting when she presented facts about audit reductions related to GFSI and then asked if anyone gets more than 4-5 audits a year.  When I raised my hand she ask if I thought GFSI would help and I replied that it had not so far!   :doh:



cazyncymru

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • Banned
  • 1,604 posts
  • 341 thanks
130
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male

Posted 06 October 2014 - 04:03 PM

We're going to have an open day, get them all in together, present everything, then point them in the direction of McDonalds for their lunch!


  • Danica likes this

Snookie

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,625 posts
  • 267 thanks
174
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female

Posted 06 October 2014 - 11:36 PM

We're going to have an open day, get them all in together, present everything, then point them in the direction of McDonalds for their lunch!

 

No homemade jam?  :giggle:


Posted Image
Live Long & Prosper

cazyncymru

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • Banned
  • 1,604 posts
  • 341 thanks
130
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male

Posted 07 October 2014 - 11:07 AM

No homemade jam?  :giggle:

 

I'm not feeling the love towards them!! :mwah:



tsmith7858

    Grade - SIFSQN

  • IFSQN Senior
  • 262 posts
  • 52 thanks
10
Good

  • United States
    United States

Posted 07 October 2014 - 12:28 PM

We're going to have an open day, get them all in together, present everything, then point them in the direction of McDonalds for their lunch!

 

You joke (or at least I think you are joking) but our senior management asked if they could do that and I had to point out that little thing call confidentiality!



cazyncymru

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • Banned
  • 1,604 posts
  • 341 thanks
130
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male

Posted 07 October 2014 - 01:27 PM

You joke (or at least I think you are joking) but our senior management asked if they could do that and I had to point out that little thing call confidentiality!

 

 

LOL Sod confidentiality!



Miss Tammy

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 70 posts
  • 13 thanks
13
Good

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:South Carolina
  • Interests:Interior decorating, swimming, reading anything, reality TV, keeping up with 3 Grandbabies under 2 years old!

Posted 07 October 2014 - 01:39 PM

The first year were were GFSI certified, we were not audited by several customers that had previously audited us annually.  The next year, they were back.  I think they do not have confidence in the certification to insure we are doing what we need to do ALL of the time, not just during the audit.  I find they are spending more time on the plant floor watching employee practices and checking sanitation than checking documentation. 



Snookie

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,625 posts
  • 267 thanks
174
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female

Posted 07 October 2014 - 04:21 PM

I'm not feeling the love towards them!! :mwah:

 

Ah there are many that I don't feel warm and fuzzy about.  At least you will point them to a McDonalds.  Some days that seems to nice as well.


Posted Image
Live Long & Prosper

Snookie

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,625 posts
  • 267 thanks
174
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female

Posted 07 October 2014 - 04:23 PM

The first year were were GFSI certified, we were not audited by several customers that had previously audited us annually.  The next year, they were back.  I think they do not have confidence in the certification to insure we are doing what we need to do ALL of the time, not just during the audit.  I find they are spending more time on the plant floor watching employee practices and checking sanitation than checking documentation. 

 

I can understand the lack of confidence.  I have seen systems certified by several auditors that did not even come close to meeting the standard.  It was terrible.  Yet several auditors  with the same company certified them with a high score. 

 

Then I have seen auditors want to give critical findings over nonsense.  It is hard to have faith in the system sometimes. 


  • fgjuadi likes this
Posted Image
Live Long & Prosper

campbell

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 29 posts
  • 8 thanks
1
Neutral

  • United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Chipping Campden

Posted 16 October 2014 - 12:11 PM

The answer should be YES.  However, most people link customer audits to food safety and end up with NO.

The objective of the GFSI audit is to cut down on customer audit time and make the customer discussions more focusee on product raher than the rest of the businees.  Remember that GFSI covers the basics - Customers cover the specifics.

Althuogh the number of audits has not changed hopefuly the way the audit content has.



bacon

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 173 posts
  • 77 thanks
18
Good

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Interests:NOAA HACCP & Better Process Control School Certified, GFSI Schemes (BRC/SQF) Certified, Woolworths Quality Assurance (WQA), USDC, FDA, U.S. Army and client audit preparation; Seafood Processing, Supplier Approval

Posted 17 October 2014 - 04:00 AM

"

Has the number of food safety audits decreased with the introduction of GSFI audits?

"

 

I believe the intent is the question (from the intent of the GFSI benchmarks), "As a result of the introduction of GSFI benchmarked audits, has the number of food safety audits decreased?"

 

However, in the last 5 years many food safety concerns have been moving in the food manufacturing industry to cause more scrutiny from buyers of foods. The GSFI benchmarked audits are the result but we still seem to have even more risk exposure than ever before. I surmise that if food safety audits (global or otherwise) were not benchmarked by GSFI; there would be more "audits" of every shape, size and color, but eventually some other attempt at harmonization (by the virtue of the objective target/goal and logic of Food Safety best practices).

 

So I vote a resounding "Yes".

-Baron


Edited by baron, 17 October 2014 - 04:01 AM.

  • fgjuadi likes this
____________________________________________________
><((((º> Salmon of Doubt & NOAA HACCP lover of Bacon

gaardendan

    Grade - Active

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 23 posts
  • 1 thanks
2
Neutral

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Not Telling

Posted 06 September 2018 - 03:52 PM

I vote no. For my company the current system is terribly broken. Before GFSI I had 18 days in audits in 2010, I am just wrapping up my 2018 schedule and just booked my 23rd through 27th day in audit this year. That's 27 days a year sitting across from a food safety auditor, not to mention all of the time to prepare and follow up.

 

 

It is such a waste for qualified staff to sit in audits repeatedly being asked the same questions by multiple auditors. That time could be better used if we could use it to improve our systems.



gaardendan

    Grade - Active

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 23 posts
  • 1 thanks
2
Neutral

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Not Telling

Posted 06 September 2018 - 03:55 PM

I still have the same number of audits per year (five regulatory, and one GFSI), however like RG3 I get pestered constantly by customers for "nickle and dime" things that do take a good amount of time. 

 

BTW, I tried to vote the poll and I get kicked out to the main page.  :tardis:  

I would kill for 6 audits a year





Share this

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users