Food Safety Audits

A lot of people have commented that I should work from home now that I have a new kitchen. However, it's not that simple. I'd have to get my kitchen certified for business use and that's a big hassle. I also prefer to be out of the house when I am working. It got me thinking though, so many people don't realise that there are serious issues behind the cupcakes! It's not all just mixing and frosting! One of the biggest issues is maintaing my food safety audits. It requires a lot of time and effort, but ultimately it is necessary to ensure the safety of my customers. It's not just a legal requirement, it's a moral obligation too. When someone orders cakes from me, they are trusting that I won't make them sick. I could never cut corners on food safety knowing that, more so because my product is cupcakes and a lot of kiddies will eat them.

I carry out my audits regularly and I use 3 different methods. First and foremost, I perform an internal audit because I know my business best and it is a chance for me to make sure that I am up to speed on everything. I do this more often than required, about once a month. I like to keep everything running properly. I have my little daily procedures too, but during a full audit I check everything. My second method is a customer audit which I do once a year. I invite customers to an open day on the premises and let them see our procedures and taste some samples. I then have them fill out feedback cards. This lets me get customer feedback and also builds trust in my brand. Lastly, is my external audit which I only do every 18 months or so. Sometimes having a fresh pair of eyes form an unbiased source is useful.

Any business in the food industry would find it hard to stay in business and to beat the competition without the proper steps to audit food safety. It is now more important than ever not to take this step for granted.