Internal and External Audit Preparation
Internal and External Audit Preparation
Audits are a vital part of maintaining food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance — but they can also be stressful and disruptive if you’re unprepared. Whether you face internal audits to assess your systems and processes or external audits from regulatory bodies, customers, or certification agencies, being fully ready can mean the difference between a smooth, confidence-building review and costly non-conformances or delays. Our Internal and External Audit Preparation consultation service equips your food business with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to excel at audits — helping you demonstrate compliance, identify improvement areas, and strengthen your overall food safety and quality culture.
What We Offer
Internal Audit Preparation
We assist you in developing a comprehensive internal audit program tailored to your operations, compliance requirements, and industry best practices. Our consultants guide you in:
- Defining audit scope, frequency, and responsibilities.
- Creating audit checklists and procedures aligned with standards such as FSANZ, HACCP, BRCGS, ACO, or other applicable frameworks.
- Training internal auditors on effective auditing techniques, objective assessment, and clear reporting.
- Conducting mock internal audits to identify gaps and non-conformities before official inspections.
By establishing a strong internal audit process, your business can proactively identify risks, address issues promptly, and continually improve your food safety and quality systems.
External Audit Preparation
Facing external audits — whether from local council inspectors, certification bodies, or large retail customers — requires detailed preparation and clear communication. We help you:
- Understand the audit criteria and expectations specific to your certifying agency or regulator.
- Review and organise your documentation, including HACCP plans, GMP procedures, training records, traceability systems, and corrective actions.
- Prepare your team for auditor questions and site walkthroughs, ensuring everyone knows their role during the audit.
- Conduct pre-audit assessments to simulate the external audit experience and address any weaknesses beforehand.
Our consultants can also provide on-site or remote support during your external audits to assist with auditor interactions and ensure your compliance evidence is presented clearly and confidently.
Benefits of Effective Audit Preparation
With expert audit preparation, you can:
- Reduce the risk of non-compliance findings and associated penalties.
- Improve operational efficiency by identifying and correcting system weaknesses.
- Build trust with regulators, certification bodies, and customers through consistent compliance.
- Enhance your team's confidence and competence in managing food safety and quality requirements.
Why Choose Us?
Our audit preparation services are grounded in deep industry knowledge and practical experience with a wide range of food safety and quality standards. We customise our approach to suit your business size, product types, and risk profile, making compliance achievable and sustainable.
Don't leave audits to chance. Partner with us to prepare thoroughly, perform confidently, and maintain your reputation for excellence.
Support for Both First-Time and Renewal Audits
Whether you’re preparing for your first audit or a renewal/annual inspection, AFSMS helps you plan well in advance. We assist with audit scheduling, review of past non-conformances, and preparation of evidence files. For businesses aiming for global certifications like BRCGS, ACO, or ISO 22000, we help align your systems with the latest version of the standard. For local council or FSANZ audits, we prepare your setup according to state-level regulatory expectations and ensure smooth cooperation with inspectors.
Long-Term Benefits Through Digital Audit Management
Audit preparation shouldn’t be stressful or last-minute. That’s why AFSMS is building tools into our upcoming digital food safety platform to help automate audit calendars, document uploads, compliance reminders, and CAPA tracking. The goal is to make ongoing compliance easy and transparent. By combining our free, practical consulting with smart digital tools, we empower food businesses to not only pass audits — but to thrive in a culture of continuous improvement.
We Assist You With Implementing Your HACCP Program
Our team supports you in implementing your HACCP program seamlessly. Together, we’ll bring your food safety management system to full readiness and ensure you excel in your next GFSI audit. Not only do we offer top-notch HACCP consultants to support you, we’ve also got a user-friendly mobile app that makes managing all your HACCP Plans and food safety records a breeze. Stay on top of everything from checklists to traceability and environmental monitoring— all at your fingertips!