Required skills

Ability to

plan and organise audit activities

identify work processes and work flow

interpret food safety programs including flow charts standard operating procedures SOPs and other process documentation

describe each process step and identify food safety hazards

conduct research to identify collect and analyse evidence of compliance with food safety programs

use communication skills to support evidence collection and outcome presentation

identify and classify noncompliances

prepare audit reports and certificates to meet regulatory and client requirements

review corrective action implementation plans

monitor the implementation of corrective actions

maintain audit records

Required knowledge

Knowledge of

required content and scope of food safety programs as defined in the National Food Safety Standard or other relevant standards

purpose and minimum requirements of riskbased approaches to managing food safety hazards including the role of prescriptive templates or approved food safety programs in supporting a riskbased approach and the process used to validate these tools

guidelines on implementing industry templates or approved food safety programs

legal requirements of food businesses

legal liability of auditors and protection against litigation and professional practice issues including the circumstances under which an auditor could be prosecuted and insurance requirements

audit activities and principles including guidelines on audit stages and activities as outlined in ISO

personal attributes required of food safety auditors including those outlined in ISO and additional system owner requirements where required

role responsibilities and powers of enforcement agencies authorised officers and commercial auditors including reporting responsibilities legal liability of auditors and delegation of authority to commercial auditors as may apply in some states and territories

information handling and management system protocols including issues such as rights of access to information maintenance of confidentiality of audit information and reports and information dissemination requirements

evidence appropriate for use in audit processes including the difference between objective and hearsay evidence and methods for recording and managing evidence to provide reliable reference information in the event that evidence is challenged

vocabulary and terms relating to food safety programs includign terms and jargon to describe technical processes industry standards and common biological and chemical terms

common biological physical and chemical hazards that may occur in the food business and appropriate methods of control and critical limits as outlined in the approved food safety program or template

the impact of the design and construction of premises and the selection application and condition of equipment on food safety as defined in Food Safety Standard

role of prerequisite programs in controlling hazards including the relationship between prerequisite programs and riskbased approaches such as HACCP to controlling food safety hazards

circumstances implications and responsibilities in the event that the auditee requests that the audit ceases

circumstances and authority to initiate cessation of an audit

methods to assess skill requirements and options to confirm that the responsible personnel within the food business have the of food safety and food hygiene relevant to the food business

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria required skills and knowledge range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package

Overview of assessment

A person who demonstrates competence in this unit must be able to assess compliance against an approved food safety program where the program is supported by a prescriptive template or tool or where compliance is checked against a food safety program that has been validated by a technical expert

Assessment must be carried out in a manner that recognises the cultural and literacy requirements of the assessee and is appropriate to the work performed Competency in this unit must be achieved in accordance with food safety standards and regulations

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of ability to

confirm that the food safety program andor template is appropriate to the activities of the business

review food safety program records to assess compliance against the approved food safety program andor template

collect and analyse evidence to confirm that the food safety program is consistently followed and controls all critical risks

identify circumstances where variation or customising of the template or food safety program requires further validation

submit noncompliance reports to clearly identify the aspects of the food safety program that have broken downneed further development in order to prevent recurrence

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency may be assessed in an actual workplace or simulated environment that provides access to the required resources At least one of the scenarios should be assessed in an actual workplace context

Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices safety requirements and environmental constraints

The following resources must be available

food safety plans

food safetyrelated documentation required to implement and record the food safety plan

evidence and documentation relevant to processes that would typically be used to assess compliance with the food safety program

plant and equipment that would typically be used in a commercial manufacturing business

Method of assessment

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of FDF Food Processing Industry Training Package The following assessment methods should be considered to gather sufficient and valid evidence of competency

Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of FDF10 Food Processing Industry Training Package. The following assessment methods should be considered to gather sufficient and valid evidence of competency:

observation and a report covering the critical aspects for assessment identified above

questioning to test the level and application of knowledge

workplace example or scenario to allow a valid decision on the compliance of the food safety program to be made with evidence of recording and feedback

Guidance information for assessment

To ensure consistency in ones performance competency should be demonstrated on more than one occasion over a period of time in order to cover a variety of circumstances cases and responsibilities and where possible over a number of assessment activities

Food safety program

Licensing/certification requirements

Technical expert

Audit scope

Prerequisite programs

Legal requirements

Food businesses

Food safety program documents

Risk-based approaches