Normanists are trained to test legal and normative requirements against day-to-day practice. They check whether operations are in line with the food safety culture and the applicable standards, legislation and regulations.
AMNorman: your partner for audits, inspections and guidance during certification audits
Normanists can be brought in to check applicable legal and normative requirements against day-to-day practice. They are trained as internal or lead auditors and receive continuous training on the latest legislation and standards.
Internal audits
Depending on the situation, we bring in a Normanist trained as a lead auditor to carry out a thorough audit plan. This is based on detailed templates, combined with follow-up of the corrective actions.
FCA internal audits
FCA certification requires an internal audit to be carried out at least once a year. The internal auditor must check whether the internal systems and/or procedures are adequate to produce, trade, transport and store animal feed safely. The person carrying out the internal audit must be independent of the colleague responsible for the audited activity. AMNorman can carry out this internal audit for you. We have a team of Normanists specialised in animal feed who are also OVOCOM-affiliated consultants.
ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 17025 audits
ISO/IEC 17025 audit
To meet the quality requirements of ISO/IEC 17025, your laboratory needs to be audited regularly. Labelling samples correctly, following the correct procedures and so on are crucial.
ISO 9001 audit
ISO 9001 is the international standard for quality management, which makes it relevant for professionals responsible for quality management. The certificate brings many benefits, not least for your reputation and image. Find out more here.
Who may carry out the internal ISO audit?
Strictly speaking, you may not audit your own work, which is why the internal audit is usually outsourced. However, a properly trained employee of the company concerned may take on the role of internal auditor. That is why we offer internal auditor training courses.
Audits carried out by a company's own staff, however, often lack in-depth knowledge of the standard, sufficient depth and points of comparison with other companies. That is precisely the strength of an auditor such as AMNorman.
You have obtained your ISO certificate. What next?
Once you have obtained the certificate, we schedule further internal audits to monitor the extent to which your company continues to operate in compliance with the standard (for most standards, this follow-up is also a requirement).
Find out more about ISO standards here.
Supplier audits
Selecting and evaluating the right suppliers is important. That is why we carry out supplier audits. Our Normanists visit suppliers to evaluate their level of compliance with quality and food safety management requirements. This visit can take place in your presence and is always arranged in advance with the supplier concerned.
The evaluation criteria are based on your specific expectations. Examples include the compliance of the installations, adherence to good hygiene and manufacturing practices, process management, customer complaints and traceability, all assessed against a specific standard.
Guidance on certification audits and inspections
Our Normanists know the requirements of the standards and the legislation inside out. This makes them the perfect match to guide you through your certification audit. They support you during the audit and help demonstrate to the auditor or inspection service that your organisation and processes are compliant.
Hygiene inspections
Hygiene inspections are crucial. Uniformity, time savings, handling of deviations and training of internal staff are all very important.
AMNorman has auditors with the appropriate competences. Hygiene inspections and reporting are carried out using an online tool that focuses entirely on the processes within your company.
The eight advantages of hygiene audits with AMNorman's e-tool and auditors:
- Auditors are independent and therefore always keep an objective view.
- The audit checklist is tailored specifically to your company.
- Audits are uniform.
- Audits and reports are digital, via our e-tool, so the results are available immediately.
- Results from different sites are easy to compare and trends are immediately visible.
- Immediate actions, linked to the deviation found, are possible.
- Employee coaching can be optimised through linked online training courses.
- There are no licence costs.
Support with an FASFC inspection
FASFC inspections are usually unannounced. We prepare you with an on-site pre-inspection based on the same checklists the FASFC inspector uses, so you can resolve deviations before they are identified. Received an unfavourable report or an official report (PV) after all? Then we help you with an analysis of the findings, a corrective action plan and preparation for the next inspection.
Process audits
Process audits focus on company processes. The auditor is present on the shop floor and keeps a close eye on the processes. These audits check the following:
- Are the internal procedures being applied?
- Can processes be simplified?
- Is the infrastructure suitable?
- Are the records and CCPs being applied correctly?
Employees are closely involved. This way, the food safety culture can be checked against day-to-day practice.
Load inspections
We can inspect cargo on your behalf before loading or dispatch. We check the condition of the goods to be dispatched, look for damage to packaging, inspect label information and accompanying consignment notes, and verify any temperature settings. This way, you can be sure that the goods leave in good condition and will not be rejected on arrival. Load inspections always come with a detailed report and photographs.
Intrusion tests
In an intrusion test, a Normanist tries to gain unauthorised access to your company. This allows us to measure how alert and assertive your employees are. The scenario for the test is agreed with you in advance. It can also be combined with a process audit or internal audit.
Frequently asked questions about audits and inspections
What is the difference between an internal and an external audit?
You carry out an internal audit yourself (or have it carried out by an independent party such as AMNorman) to check proactively whether your system is compliant, independently of a certification event. An external audit is carried out by an accredited certification body (e.g. for BRCGS, IFS or FSSC 22000) and results in a certificate or a non-conformity report. Internal audits are therefore a preparatory tool; external audits are the formal assessment.
How do you prepare your company for an unannounced audit?
By keeping your system audit-ready all year round, rather than working on it just before a scheduled audit: up-to-date records, followed-up non-conformities from previous audits, current risk analyses and trained staff who can explain at any time what they do and why. More and more schemes (including BRCGS and IFS) use unannounced audits within a set window, precisely to encourage this.
What happens if there is a non-conformity during an audit?
Every non-conformity (minor, major or critical) must be corrected within a fixed period after the audit, with evidence of both the immediate correction and the underlying root cause. A critical non-conformity or too many minor findings can lead to a certificate being refused or withdrawn. This is often exactly where AMNorman helps: drawing up a corrective action plan quickly and in a structured way that satisfies the auditor.
How often are BRCGS and IFS audits carried out?
With a good audit result, usually once a year (BRCGS: every 12 months with grade AA/A, more often with lower grades; IFS: a full recertification audit every year). Both schemes can impose an earlier follow-up audit in the event of serious shortcomings.
Further reading in our knowledge centre
