Growing Demand For Food Safety Auditor Certification
Australia enjoys a pretty good reputation for its safe and healthy food supply, but things can sometimes go wrong, as we've seen by some of the headlines in the media this year. The one that immediately springs to mind is the salmonella outbreak in February, linked to contaminated pre-packed salads.
As consumers, we are used to being wary about potentially contaminated meat and fish products, but lettuce! Who'd have thought? The fact is, there is a lot of legislation surrounding food production and retailing, and the hospitality industry, and it's likely to get tougher.
Huge Demand For Food Safety Auditors
In the US, with the release of the Food Safety Modernization Act earlier this year, there was a sudden and huge demand for food safety auditors, not just in America, but around the world.
Contaminated food is bad news for everyone: consumers fear it, because it can cause extreme illness or even death, and food producers, retailers, restaurants et cetera are terrified of being sued. With the best marketing techniques and personnel in the world, it's pretty hard to come back from a recall!
The demand for qualified food safety auditors will continue to grow, which is great news for those hoping to make it a new career. Already we are seeing increased demand for food safety auditor certification and HACCP certification training courses.
Understanding HACCP
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, and an HACCP system is based on seven important principles - hazard analysis, critical control point identification, establishment of critical limits, monitoring procedures, and verification procedures.
Sounds complicated, right? But with the proper training this becomes second nature to qualified food safety auditors. It basically means understanding the potential risks and hazards, and deciding what safety measures to put in place, and at what stage of the process.
So, for example, with those pre-packed salads, there should have been a specific HACCP plan in place to avoid contamination.
Food Safety Programs
As food safety reforms are published, those organisations involved in that industry will be expected to put in place food safety programs, based on HACCP. That leads to a requirement for a food audit system, and hence the demand for more food auditors.
In Queensland, Queensland Health defines the role of an auditor as providing advice to local governments about accreditation of food safety programs; conducting audits of accredited food safety programs; preparing audit reports, and providing a copy of these reports to the local government and the holder of the accredited food safety program.
Interest In Public Health
Achieving food safety auditor certification opens the door to a fascinating career that combines an interest in public health and legislation with research and analytical thinking. Naturally there would be travel involved, with different workplaces every time. It's a job that demands excellent people and communication skills, and an ordered mind.
It would appear that the demand for food safety auditors is currently outstripping supply, so it's probably a great time to find out more. Training is particularly beneficial to those who already have experience in the food industry, and helps choose a specialist field, such as seafood.
As consumers, we are used to being wary about potentially contaminated meat and fish products, but lettuce! Who'd have thought? The fact is, there is a lot of legislation surrounding food production and retailing, and the hospitality industry, and it's likely to get tougher.
Huge Demand For Food Safety Auditors
In the US, with the release of the Food Safety Modernization Act earlier this year, there was a sudden and huge demand for food safety auditors, not just in America, but around the world.
Contaminated food is bad news for everyone: consumers fear it, because it can cause extreme illness or even death, and food producers, retailers, restaurants et cetera are terrified of being sued. With the best marketing techniques and personnel in the world, it's pretty hard to come back from a recall!
The demand for qualified food safety auditors will continue to grow, which is great news for those hoping to make it a new career. Already we are seeing increased demand for food safety auditor certification and HACCP certification training courses.
Understanding HACCP
HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, and an HACCP system is based on seven important principles - hazard analysis, critical control point identification, establishment of critical limits, monitoring procedures, and verification procedures.
Sounds complicated, right? But with the proper training this becomes second nature to qualified food safety auditors. It basically means understanding the potential risks and hazards, and deciding what safety measures to put in place, and at what stage of the process.
So, for example, with those pre-packed salads, there should have been a specific HACCP plan in place to avoid contamination.
Food Safety Programs
As food safety reforms are published, those organisations involved in that industry will be expected to put in place food safety programs, based on HACCP. That leads to a requirement for a food audit system, and hence the demand for more food auditors.
In Queensland, Queensland Health defines the role of an auditor as providing advice to local governments about accreditation of food safety programs; conducting audits of accredited food safety programs; preparing audit reports, and providing a copy of these reports to the local government and the holder of the accredited food safety program.
Interest In Public Health
Achieving food safety auditor certification opens the door to a fascinating career that combines an interest in public health and legislation with research and analytical thinking. Naturally there would be travel involved, with different workplaces every time. It's a job that demands excellent people and communication skills, and an ordered mind.
It would appear that the demand for food safety auditors is currently outstripping supply, so it's probably a great time to find out more. Training is particularly beneficial to those who already have experience in the food industry, and helps choose a specialist field, such as seafood.
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