Most food manufacturers conduct regular internal inspections to verify FSMA or GFSI requirements are being met - BUT, why then do so many struggle to assess the monthly health of their food safety programs? See how to identify and correct weaknesses in the verification processes to accurately monitor facility and hygiene program effectiveness, and what tools can help streamline both internal and external audits. In this presentation you will learn specific tools to help you: • Identify gaps in your Prerequisite Programs, and how build in more controls • Share pertinent food safety data during regular management meetings • Ensure data is ready for annual verification of programs and auditor assessments

1. FSMA Fridays Webinar Series
Monthly Industry News, Updates & Trends for Food, Beverage, & CPG Manufacturers
Rich Simmons
Sr. Advisor, Food Safety
Using Monthly Inspections as a Tool
for Prerequisite Program Verification

2. ✔Monthly FSMA Related News
✔Regulation Changes & Updates
✔Industry Trends
✔Q&A with TAG
What is FSMA Fridays?
FSMA FRIDAYS
A global food safety and public
health consulting group made up
of seasoned industry experts
Award-winning digital plant
management platform to visualize
plant-wide performance and
better control quality, yield &
production optimization.
Brought to you by:

3. Meet Your FSMA Friday Speaker
FSMA FRIDAYS
Rich Simmons
Sr. Advisor, Food Safety
Mr. Simmons has over 42 years of experience in the food industry
specializing in GFSI food safety management system standards -
having completed over 250 SQF audits and 100 BRC audits in his career.
Mr. Simmons had held positions of Certification Manager and Technical
Operations Manager at NSF, and is an Approved Training provider (ATP)
for the BRC food standard and qualified lead auditor for SQF, BRC, FSSC
and IFS Logistics.

4. FSMA FRIDAYS
FSMA FRIDAYS
FSMA: Regulatory Updates
● FDA Released New Menu Labeling Guidance:
(source: https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/draft-guidance-industry-menu-labeling-supplemental-guidance-edition-2 )
This guidance document addresses stakeholder questions regarding the implementation of nutrition labeling required
for foods sold in covered establishments,[1] including examples of alternatives to aid in compliance
● Salmonella outbreak associated with cantaloupe:
(source: https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/sundsvall-11-23/index.html)
○ Last recall announced on Dec 6th – First recall was 11/9/23. The Traceability Rule may help with identifying
potentially contaminated product in the supply chain
○ This Salmonella serotype, Sundsvall, appears to have a very high hospitalization rate of about
42% in the US with 34% hospitalized in Canada

5. FSMA FRIDAYS
1. : an act or process of verifying. 2. : a sworn statement of truth or correctness.
The application of methods, procedures, tests and other evaluations, in addition
to monitoring, to determine whether a control or measure is or has been
operating as intended.
Verification is defined as those activities, other than monitoring, that determine if the
HACCP plan is operating as intended and the control measures are scientifically valid
for producing a safe product.
Those activities, other than monitoring, that determine the validity of the HACCP
food safety (or quality) plan and ensure that the system is operating according
to the plan (Codex).
Verification: Definition
Standard for
Food Safety
Issue 9

6. FSMA FRIDAYS
Existing Tasks for Verification
• Annual review of changes
• Internal audit
• Customer complaint data/ trending
• Pest control summaries
• Preventive maintenance completion rates
• Product hold summaries
• Master sanitation schedule summaries
• Training matrices
• Calibration schedule
• Food safety plan review

7. FSMA FRIDAYS
The objective of this session is to look at the list of tools
and build parts into the monthly inspection process.
Our goal is to keep a monthly track record of our controls
to make end-of-period program summaries easier.
We will look at examples of monthly verification for
Calibration Program, Pest Control, Shipping & Receiving,
Sanitation Program, Plant Security, and the Food
Safety Plan.
Verification By Monthly Inspection

8. FSMA FRIDAYS
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist
Monthly Inspection Verification: Calibration
Task No. Descriptions Conforms
Yes No
Classification
(Min, Maj, Crit)
Objective
Evidence
7 Equipment impacting food
safety, quality, regulatory is
routinely or annually calibrated
to a schedule. Calibrations of
this equipment is current.

9. FSMA FRIDAYS
By end of 12 months – calibration records
and schedule will have been verified.
Verification Rationale and Strategy: Calibration
Each month check the calibration program:
● Is equipment being scheduled?
● Is the schedule adhered to?
● Are records in place?
Program is Effective!

10. FSMA FRIDAYS
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist
Monthly Inspection Verification: Pest Control
Task No. Descriptions
Pest Control
Conforms
Yes No
Classification
(Min, Maj, Crit)
Objective
Evidence
1. Live catch devices and glue boards are
checked at least monthly. Exterior bait
stations are checked at least monthly. PCO
must sign and date the labels on all devices.
2. Exterior bait stations are checked at least
monthly. PCO must sign and date the labels
on all devices.
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist

11. FSMA FRIDAYS
Along with trending charts, this verification can
show that there are no issues by month.
Records are in place and are signed.
The contracted service has effectively completed
device inspections.
Verification Rationale and Strategy: Pest Control

12. FSMA FRIDAYS
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist
Monthly Inspection Verification: Receiving & Shipping
Task No. Descriptions Conforms
Yes No
Classification
(Min, Maj, Crit)
Objective
Evidence
1. All raw materials and ingredients,
including allergens are properly identified
and labeled.
2. Products are maintained in their
appropriate temperature range.
3. Receiving areas are clean, organized,
and free of debris and spilled products.

13. FSMA FRIDAYS
Verification Rationale and Strategy: Receiving & Shipping
Checking compliance of the shipping receiving team
who are responsible for elements of food safety.
Verification Rationale
At the end of the year, summarize the number of
infractions or level of compliance to show effective control.

14. FSMA FRIDAYS
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist
Monthly Inspection Verification: Sanitation Program
Task No. Descriptions Conforms
Yes No
Classification
(Min, Maj, Crit)
Objective
Evidence
1. Cleanliness is maintained in all
areas
2. Sanitation documentation
complete, i.e. according to master
sanitation schedule, SSOP, check
sheets - complete & signed, etc.
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist

15. FSMA FRIDAYS
Checks for facility sanitary conditions and the completion
of the sanitation schedule, SSOP compliance, and record
keeping each month.
Correlated over the year, this will show sufficient proof of
the state of cleanliness and program compliance,
allowing for a determination of program effectiveness.
Verification Rationale and Strategy: Sanitation Program
Verification Rationale

16. FSMA FRIDAYS
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist
Monthly Inspection Verification: Plant Security
Task No. Descriptions Conforms
Yes No
Classification
(Min, Maj, Crit)
Objective
Evidence
1. A Visitor sign-in is in place and is used for all
external visitors and contractors. The sign-in
includes review of GMPs including Food Defense
rules.
2. All trucks delivering goods to the facility will have
an acceptable level of security: locked cargo
doors, sealed cargo doors, direct routes from
source, trucks never parked unsupervised.
3. Doors (access and loading) in good condition /no
damages. Door hardware (latch / lock) in good
working condition. Doors to the exterior are kept
closed are locked.
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist

17. FSMA FRIDAYS
Checks of the visitor log and discussions with the plant entry
team over the year will show compliance and all contractors are
trained with no shortcuts.
Inbound and outbound load security is confirmed.
The discipline of keeping doors in good condition always closed
and locked is confirmed. This verifies some of the key
components of plant security that relies on employee discipline.
Verification Rationale and Strategy: Plant Security
Verification Rationale

18. FSMA FRIDAYS
Excerpt for the Monthly Inspection Checklist
Monthly Inspection Verification: Food Safety
Task No. Descriptions Conforms
Yes No
Classification
(Min, Maj, Crit)
Objective
Evidence
1. CCP records are completed on time,
are legible, complete and signed off
as verified by QA
2. CCP Operators were interviewed
and found knowledgeable on the
procedures they were responsible
for. They know both critical and
operating limits and knew what to do
when failure is found.

19. FSMA FRIDAYS
A verification check is performed on the monitoring,
deviation control and record keeping components of
the Food Safety Plan.
This confirms that the most critical aspects of the
Food Safety System are effective.
Verification Rationale and Strategy: Food Safety

20. FSMA FRIDAYS
In Conclusion
Monthly verification checks of Prerequisite Programs and Food Safety
Plan will provide timely confirmation of controls that can be used to:
• Provide a robust verification calendar.
• Provide verification data can easily be lifted from the inspection.
checksheet to be transferred to a verification record.
• Make it easier to provide data to the management team updates.
• Combine tasks so that verification and QA inspections are completed
simultaneously.
• Ease the burden of internal audit of the food safety system.
• Provide good data to share with Regulators or Third Party Auditors in a
manner that is ready to show.

21. FSMA FRIDAY
Questions?
Rich Simmons
Sr. Advisor, Food Safety
Using Monthly Inspections as a Tool
for Prerequisite Program Verification

22. FSMA FRIDAYS
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