Auditing

Internal Auditing

Standards such as ISO 9000 and BRC require auditors to be:

  • Appropriately trained
  • Competent
  • Independent of the area being audited

For many companies there is insufficient resource to meet all of these requirements.

Regulation EC 852/2004 on the Hygiene of Foodstuffs requires all food business operators to put in place, implement, and maintain permanent procedures based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles. Principle 6 requires procedures to be established and carried out regularly, to verify that the measures outlined in Principles 1 to 5 are working effectively. Auditing is one of the most widely used methods in meeting this requirement.

Ashwood UK can help by providing experienced and qualified auditors to carry out independent audits against:

  • Your own procedures and systems (including HACCP)
  • External standards (including HACCP)
  • Customer Codes of Practice

We can also provide training for internal auditors.

Being audited by your customers / 3rd parties

This can be a very daunting experience for many companies, and often can lead to the company not being able to present its systems and procedures in the most favourable light. This in turn can lead to unnecessary changes in these systems and procedures, causing more work for an already stretched team.

We are experienced in managing audits and can assist companies in:

  • Audit preparation
  • During audits
  • Implementation of appropriate corrective action
  • Post audit responses

Auditing Your Suppliers

Increasingly the emphasis is being placed on companies to audit their suppliers, to ensure that raw materials are of the standard required and expected. However, in many cases, companies do not have either the manpower or technical skill-base to carry out supplier auditing.

Ashwood UK Limited can assist by:

  • Development of supplier audit protocols, tailored to your requirements
  • Carrying out supplier audits on your behalf
  • Providing advice on auditing of specific industry sectors
  • Design and management of supplier approval and monitoring systems
  • Auditor training

BRC Food Technical Standard
The BRC Food Technical Standard was created to establish a standard for the supply of food products and to act as key piece of evidence for UK retailers and brand owners to demonstrate ‘due diligence*’ in the face of potential prosecution by the enforcement authorities.

It has now become the international mark of excellence. Certification verifies technical competence and aids manufacturers, brand owners and retailers in fulfilment of legal obligations. It also safeguards the consumer.

Read more about the BRC Technical Standards (Use the 'Back' button to return to this website).