Supplier Audit
Introduction to Supplier Audits
What Is a Supplier Audit?
Supplier audits in the food industry involve evaluating the performance, practices, and facilities of suppliers and vendors who provide ingredients, raw materials, packaging materials, or services to food manufacturers or retailers.
The primary purpose of supplier audits is to ensure that suppliers meet food safety, quality, regulatory, sustainability and ethical standards. They contribute safeguarding the integrity of the supply chain and the safety of the final products.
The audit basis may be a client‑designated checklist, an industry standard or a regulatory requirement, covering the entire supply chain from farms and factories to warehousing and logistics.
documentation review: the completeness and traceability of food safety and quality management system documents, procedures and records;
on‑site inspection: premises and facilities, production equipment, storage conditions and environmental hygiene;
process verification: the implementation of prerequisite programmes (PRPs), the HACCP plan, pest control, personnel hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection.
Common audit formats include pre‑approval audits, annual audits and unannounced audits, which can be scheduled flexibly to fit your company’s supplier management cycle.
Why Are Supplier Audits important?
Food Safety AssuranceSupplier audits help verify that suppliers have effective food safety management systems in place to prevent contamination, adulteration, and other hazards that could compromise the safety of food products. This includes assessing adherence to HACCP principles, GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices), and other relevant food safety standards.
Quality ControlSupplier audits evaluate the quality control measures and processes implemented by suppliers to ensure consistency, reliability, and suitability of the materials or services provided. This helps maintain product quality and consistency throughout the supply chain.
Compliance VerificationSupplier audits assess compliance with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and customer‑specific requirements. This includes verifying compliance with food safety regulations, labeling requirements, allergen management, and other legal obligations.
Risk ManagementBy evaluating supplier performance and practices, supplier audits help identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in the supply chain. This allows companies to implement risk mitigation measures, such as alternative sourcing or additional quality assurance measures, to reduce the risk of supply chain disruptions, product recalls, or other adverse events.
Traceability & TransparencySupplier audits promote traceability and transparency in the supply chain by verifying the origin, handling, and documentation of raw materials and ingredients. This enhances accountability and allows for effective trace‑back and trace‑forward in the event of food safety incidents or recalls.
Ethical & Social ResponsibilitySupplier audits may include assessments of ethical and social responsibility practices, such as labor practices, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. This ensures that suppliers uphold ethical standards and align with the values and expectations of customers and consumers.
Customer Confidence & Brand ProtectionBy ensuring the integrity and safety of the supply chain, supplier audits help protect the reputation and brand image of food manufacturers and retailers. This enhances customer confidence and trust in the safety and quality of the products they purchase.
Continuous ImprovementSupplier audits provide valuable feedback to suppliers and enable continuous improvement in their processes, practices, and performance. They foster a culture of quality and accountability throughout the supply chain, benefiting both suppliers and their customers.
Overall, supplier audits play a critical role in ensuring food safety, quality, compliance, and integrity throughout the food supply chain. They help mitigate risks, protect consumers, and uphold the reputation and trust of businesses. They represent a highly effective method for guaranteeing the quality and safety of ingredients, additives, packaging, or services delivered by contractors.
How Can Mérieux Help You?
As a manufacturer of food products, it is in your best interest to verify your suppliers and supplied raw materials. However, conducting supplier assessments has become increasingly challenging.
Our experts can review your supply chain assurance strategy and supplier monitoring activities. We assess them to see if they are appropriate and effective to ensure that your agreements with suppliers regarding food safety, quality, sustainability and other contractual obligations are complied with. We can take over time consuming supplier audits, providing you with peace of mind.
What You Will Get
An objective and consistent basis for supplier evaluation, supporting supplier approval, classification and ongoing management;
audit reports with a list of findings;
and early identification of supply chain risks to inform procurement decisions.
Why Choose Us
CNAS and DAkkS dual accreditation, backed by five decades of food safety expertise within the Mérieux NutriSciences group;
end‑to‑end service capability covering farms, factories, and warehousing and logistics, which can be combined on demand with one‑stop services such as on‑site production follow‑up and quality risk assessment;
and a dedicated team of full‑time auditors, well trained and familiar with industry standards and with how client requirements are applied in practice.
Customised Supplier Audit Services
The Mérieux NutriSciences audit management team can help develop a customized audit program to meet your needs. Many companies have chosen to use our audit team to conduct customized audits that target key pain points that an organization may have such as Foreign Supplier Verification Programs.
The supplier audits can be customized to focus on critical areas or compliance with product specification or food safety requirements. Many organizations will use a customized audit program for their high‑risk suppliers.
Farm audits;
animal welfare audits;
food safety culture assessments;
social responsibility audits;
store audits;
GMP audits;
warehousing and logistics audits;
food factory audits;
food packaging material factory audits;
health food factory audits;
and pet food factory audits.
Farm Audits
Extending food safety control to the source
The food safety risks of agricultural products need to be controlled starting from the planting and farming stage.
based on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) principles and relevant regulations, a farm audit provides an independent assessment of a farm’s management of food safety, sustainable development, environmental protection, and employee health and safety, giving buyers source‑level audit evidence for their suppliers of primary agricultural products.
Audit Focus
Planting/livestock process management: the procurement, use and record‑keeping of inputs such as seeds, pesticides, veterinary drugs, feed and fertilisers;
food safety control: pesticide and veterinary drug residue control, irrigation water quality, disease prevention and control, and hygiene during harvest and post‑harvest handling;
environment and sustainability: soil and water conservation, waste management, and biodiversity protection.
Why choose Mérieux?
Auditors familiar with both the GLOBALG.A.P. and ChinaGAP standard systems, with hands‑on audit experience in primary production;
and a complete service chain from farm audits to system certification, supporting suppliers in step‑by‑step improvement.
Animal Welfare Audits
A key market‑access requirement for animal‑derived products entering international markets
International retailers and restaurant chains have widely incorporated animal welfare into their supplier codes of conduct and use third‑party audits to verify compliance. based on the internationally recognised “Five Freedoms” principles of animal welfare and client‑specific standards, this audit provides an independent assessment of animal welfare conditions across the entire process of livestock and poultry farming, transport and slaughter.
Audit Focus
Farming stage: stocking density, feed and water, environmental conditions, health monitoring, and handling of injury and disease;
transport stage: vehicle conditions, loading density, journey duration, and stress control;
slaughter stage: effectiveness of stunning, operator competence and working practices, and contingency plans.
Why choose Mérieux?
Animal welfare auditors with first‑hand audit experience in primary food production;
and proven experience in delivering animal welfare audits for international retailers and restaurant chains, with a firm grasp of how each client’s standards are applied.
Food Safety Culture Assessment
Assessing the human factor beyond the documentation system
The effective operation of a food safety management system depends not only on documents and procedures, but also on the shared awareness and consistent behaviour of all staff.
Drawing on internationally recognised methodologies from GFSI, Codex and various certification schemes, a food safety culture assessment combines questionnaires, staff interviews, on‑site observation and record review to systematically evaluate an organisation’s food safety values, behavioural norms and management climate.
It delivers a culture maturity result together with improvement recommendations, meeting the requirements of the new GFSI standards and of international clients for food safety culture evaluation.
Assessment Dimensions
Leadership and commitment: management’s resource allocation, goal setting and role modelling;
competence and awareness: the effectiveness of the training system and employees’ understanding of key requirements;
communication: the channels and effectiveness of food safety communication throughout the organisation;
behaviour and incentives: the degree to which actual practice conforms to requirements, performance‑appraisal orientation, and incident‑reporting culture.
GMP Audits
The most widely used foundational factory audit
based on current regulatory requirements and industry best practices, a GMP audit comprehensively assesses a company’s premises and facilities, production process controls, personnel hygiene and system documentation.
It is the most broadly applicable foundational factory audit, and a common prerequisite for downstream customer verification audits and GFSI system certification. Through the audit, companies can identify weak points in their management before problems escalate into complaints or recalls.
Audit Focus
Premises and facilities: site selection and layout, production environment, facility maintenance and hygiene;
production process control: equipment management, cleaning and disinfection, pest control, and cross‑contamination prevention;
personnel hygiene: health checks, personal hygiene, and training and qualifications;
documentation: the establishment and implementation of prerequisite programmes (PRPs) and the HACCP plan, record completeness, and nonconforming product control and recall procedures.
Why choose Mérieux?
GMP auditing is a field Mérieux has cultivated for many years and in which it enjoys a strong professional reputation in the industry;
and an experienced auditor team familiar with GMP regulatory requirements and practical control points across industries.
Warehousing and Logistics Audits
Completing audit evidence for the distribution link of the supply chain
The warehousing and logistics stage carries specific risks such as temperature‑control failure and cross‑contamination, and is a link that is easily overlooked in food safety management. based on Good Distribution Practice (GDP) principles and client requirements, this audit is conducted for food warehousing, distribution and transport companies.
Audit Focus
Storage conditions: warehouse environment, temperature and humidity control, condition of facilities and equipment, and goods protection;
operations: receiving and dispatch inspection, first‑in‑first‑out (FIFO), loading and unloading operations, and vehicle hygiene;
risk control: pest control, segregation of allergens and chemicals, disposal of nonconforming goods, and cross‑contamination prevention.
Food Factory Audits
A comprehensive assessment covering everything from raw material receipt to finished product release
A comprehensive third‑party audit of a food manufacturer’s food safety and quality management system, covering the entire process from raw material receipt to finished product release. The audit can be based on a client checklist, an industry standard or the company’s own standards.
Audit Focus
Food safety system: the establishment and implementation of the HACCP plan, prerequisite programmes, and food safety management system documentation;
the entire production process: raw material inspection, process control, environmental monitoring, cleaning and disinfection, and personnel hygiene.
Food Packaging Material Factory Audits
Why It Is Needed
Packaging materials are an integral part of the food supply chain. Whether or not the packaging directly contacts food, its compliant management is one of the concerns of downstream food companies when controlling suppliers — the migration risk of direct‑contact materials, as well as the production environment and hygiene management of non‑contact materials, all fall within the scope of audit services we can provide.
What We Do
A dedicated audit for manufacturers of food packaging and food contact materials, conducted in accordance with food contact material regulations (such as GB 9685 and EU No 10/2011) and GMP requirements. For non‑food‑contact packaging, the audit focuses on the production environment, hygiene management and system operation:
Input control: purchasing verification of food‑grade materials, supplier qualifications, and management of declarations of compliance;
production control: hygiene of the production environment, cross‑contamination prevention, and compliance in the use of additives;
product safety: migration risk control (for direct‑contact materials), batch management and traceability, and inspection and release management;
documentation: the establishment of the GMP system and quality management system documentation, and record management.
