A Program Assessment is a value-added service and important component of RMC's AuditGuard®. It is where a comprehensive review is provided of GMP, Hygiene, Environmental, and other associated pre-requisite programs that impact a food safety sanitation program.
Program Assessments include the following:
- Visual observations
- Identifying deficiencies
- Making suggested recommendations and remediations
- Establishing short and long-term action plans
These are important steps in driving continuous improvement in Sanitation, Hygiene and Preventative Maintenance programs. It is also useful when third party validation/verification is needed for compliance purposes as part of an audit or customer requirements.
The Program Assessment focuses on the following objectives:
- GFSI: The evaluation of independent compliance status of a facility related to current BRC and SQF standards. This can be done either prior to the initial GFSI certification audit or prior to a recertification audit.
- Pre-Op: Conduct visual and diagnostic swab analyses of the equipment (Zone 1 and 2) and the environmental components (Zone 3 and 4) of the plant.
- Operational: Visual observations of all employee practices related to GMP's and Pre-requisite Programs (PRP's) with emphasis on verification and validation of current hygiene and sanitation programs. This includes a Gap Analysis on current practices and programs using both visual and diagnostic tools of the AuditGuard® Program.
- Sanitation: Visual observations with recommendations on behaviors and practices relating actual adherence to the current SSOP's for both equipment and environmental sanitation to GMP's. Key problematic equipment is targeted and analyzed. Verification and validation of current hygiene and sanitation programs include a Gap Analysis on current practices and programs using both visual and diagnostic tools. A focus is also on inefficiencies with an objective to increase time, labor and energy efficiencies.
- Microbiological Testing: Conducted for verification, validation and remediation and is intended to verify a sanitation program is working as intended and to identify and address potential problematic areas. This may include food contact/non-food contact testing as well as environmental and compressed air, depending on the need.
The Program Assessment Service is flexible and can be customized accordingly to a plant's current and future needs. There are many important advantages including the identification of areas of opportunity and to become more pro-active in implementing new programs to improve an existing food safety program.