One of the (perhaps) lesser-known criteria that requires adherence by food safety schemes if they wish to comply to the GFSI 2020 accreditation scheme, is an unannounced audit schedule. Therefore, if you are running a food safety system such as Freshcare, SQF or GlobalG.A.P. you will likely encounter (or maybe have already) an unannounced audit. You will need to navigate this successfully to recertify to that standard(s).

Without delving into the details around unannounced audits (as they differ slightly between the schemes), you will need to ensure that you are adequately prepared when you enter the unannounced audit window.

This is where the ‘Six Ps’ comes into it:
• Proper
• Prior
• Planning
• Prevents
• Poor
• Performance!

Checklists are a great tool that businesses can utilise to address the Six Ps. They allow businesses to plan, prepare, allocate resources, and monitor progress towards the goal of passing audit.

In the world of horticulture, no two businesses are the same. Therefore, all businesses would be sensible in creating and managing their own customised checklists that capture all the required compliance criteria. However, the basic frameworks will nevertheless be similar given all the compliant schemes are adhering to the same GFSI Standard, which means a basic checklist can be developed.

From ‘booking your audit’ to ‘weight checks’, you need to cover off on the A–Z of your checklist.

To support growers, a basic A–Z Checklist has been developed and can be found on the vegetablesWA website.

It is important to note that this checklist is generic in nature and is designed for use as a guide only. Further advice and/or activities may be required to comply with specific quality assurance programs. Not all the elements listed maybe required for compliance to your QA standard(s) so advice should be sought.