Most companies undergo periodic external audits. Perhaps it might be a GMP/Food Safety Third Party Audit, a customer audit, a Food Safety Assessment (FSA) conducted by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) or an audit for one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized schemes such as SQF Institute (SQF), BRC Global Standards (BRC) or Food Safety System Certification 22000 (FSSC 22000).
Frequently, when a company has an impending audit there is a flurry of activity to prepare for it. After the audit is completed you hear a sigh of relief, and things are forgotten until the next audit is impending—then the flurry of activity starts all over again. The correct way to do business is to be prepared on a daily basis for an audit. Constantly being prepared is critical for many companies because often customer audits are conducted unannounced. A good way to be prepared on an ongoing basis for an audit is to periodically conduct an internal company audit.