The internal audit program is the backbone of any robust food safety management system. Yet, a common lament echoes across the industry: “We don’t have enough internal auditors.”

This belief—that a shortage of personnel is the primary barrier to an effective audit program—is a pervasive myth. At SFPM Consulting Inc., we believe the issue is not one of insufficient internal auditors, but one of inefficient resource management. When viewed through the lens of strategic resource allocation, food safety stops being a compliance burden and transforms into a powerful tool for business sustainability and growth.

The Myth of the Internal Auditor Shortage

The conventional wisdom suggests that to increase audit frequency or depth, you must assigned and train more dedicated internal auditors. This is often an impractical and costly solution, especially for facilities already operating with lean teams. The real problem is that existing resources—your current quality, production, and maintenance staff—are often underutilized or improperly trained to conduct audits that truly add value.

The “auditor shortage” is a symptom of a deeper issue: a lack of clarity, standardization, and efficiency in the audit process itself.

• Lack of Standardization: Internal audits are often inconsistent, focusing on low-risk areas while missing critical control points.
• Inefficient Documentation: Internal auditors spend more time on paperwork than on observation and analysis.
• Training Gaps: Staff tasked with auditing lack the specialized skills to identify root causes, turning internal audits into simple checklist exercises.

SFPM’s Solution to Internal Audit

Conducting a thorough internal audit is crucial. Don’t let a lack of resources or improper conditions be a barrier.

We reframe the internal audit challenge from a staffing problem to a food safety resource management opportunity. Your existing team members are your most valuable and often underutilized assets.

Our goal is to empower them to perform high-impact audits with minimal disruption to their primary roles.

1. Custom Training: Turning Staff into Strategic Auditors

The key to unlocking your internal resources is targeted, high-quality training. A generic course won’t suffice; you need training that is specific to your facility, your products, and your food safety scheme (HACCP, SQF, BRCGS, etc.).

SFPM Consulting offers customized food safety training that emphasizes practical application and critical thinking. We don’t just teach the “what” of auditing; we teach the “why” and the “how” of effective resource deployment.

• Root Cause Analysis: Training staff to move beyond simply identifying non-conformances to finding the true systemic cause.
• Risk-Based Auditing: Teaching auditors to prioritize their time by focusing on high-risk areas and critical control points, ensuring maximum return on their time investment.
• Efficiency in Execution: Streamlining the audit process to reduce time spent on documentation, allowing more time for valuable observation and coaching.

SFPM Training Advantage: Our training, led by experts like Felicia Loo (a HACCP Lead Instructor and SQF Consultant), links the foundation of food safety directly to operational efficiency. We even offer a free GMP refresher and food safety courses like HACCP training or PCQI course at a steep discounted rate to ensure your team has the foundational knowledge they need.

2. Gap Assessment: Optimizing Your Internal Audit Program

Before you can manage your resources effectively, you need to know where your system is weak. Our food safety gap assessment is not just a checklist; it’s a strategic review of your entire internal audit program.

We analyze your current audit schedule, documentation, and staff competency to identify bottlenecks and areas of waste. This allows us to develop a tailored plan for food safety system optimization. By focusing on the gaps, we ensure that every audit minute spent is a minute invested in food safety productivity.

This process allows you to:

• Optimize Audit Frequency: Determine the ideal frequency for auditing specific areas based on risk, not tradition.
• Standardize Documentation: Implement clear, concise, and digital-friendly documentation that reduces administrative burden.
• Align Internal Audits with Business Goals: Ensure your internal audit program directly supports your business objectives, moving beyond mere compliance.

Internal Audit is A Tool for Business Sustainability, Not an Obstacle to Growth

The most significant shift in perspective is recognizing that food safety is not the obstacle to growing a business; it is a tool for business sustainability.

When your food safety system is efficient, well-managed, and driven by a highly competent internal team, it directly contributes to your bottom line:

• Reduced Waste and Rework: A proactive audit program catches issues early, minimizing product loss and operational waste.
• Improved Brand Reputation: Consistent compliance and high standards build consumer trust, which is invaluable for sales.
• Streamlined Certifications: A strong internal audit program makes external audits (like SQF or BRCGS) smoother, faster, and less stressful, saving time and money.
• Focus on Core Business: By making your internal audit system self-sufficient and efficient, your management team can focus on what matters most: improving your productivity and sales.

SFPM Consulting Inc. is committed to empowering your facility.

We provide customized solutions and knowledge transfer, allowing you to choose your level of commitment and budget.

We pride ourselves on teaching you the management and implementation secrets, ensuring you build a sustainable, in-house program.

Invest in Management, Not Just Manpower

The myth of the internal auditor shortage is a distraction. The reality is that your facility has the resources; they simply need to be managed and trained strategically.

By partnering with SFPM Consulting for custom internal audit training and gap assessment, you are making a strategic investment in food safety resource management. You are transforming your internal audit program from a compliance cost into a driver of operational excellence and business sustainability.

Don’t let the myth hold your business back.

Let us help you unlock the full potential of your team and turn food safety into the powerful business tool it was always meant to be.

Ready to transform your internal audit program?

Contact SFPM Consulting Inc. today to discuss a custom training and gap assessment plan that will improve your productivity and secure your future.

Want to learn more about internal audit? Join our free session on Nov 19th through Eventbrite. Sign up here

https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/sfpm-consulting-31657005629

Want to learn about some of the companies that we have helped?