The world has gone virtual over the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the way we audit, review, and meet to discuss food safety.
An increasing number of audits are conducted either remotely or blended remote/on-site. This is true for GMP and animal welfare audits as well as major audit schemes such as BRCGS and SQF. Remote and blended audits allow contactless or limited contact options for services that would have previously been conducted fully on-site. Some clients require results of a negative COVID-19 test before admitting auditors access to the facility.
In-plant food safety meetings which would normally occur in a conference room are now held via various online meeting platforms or conference calls with attendees in their individual offices or in some cases working from home. Corporations have placed travel restrictions on staff to minimize the risk of contact, so what once would have been an in-person visit is very likely a virtual visit today.
Food industry conferences this year such as the Annual Meat Conference, Global Food Safety Initiative Conference, and BRCGS Food Safety Americas Conference will be conducted either fully virtual or with some form of limited contact interactions in 2021. Professional industry organizations such as PAACO (Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization) now offer virtual training and certification options.
Online meeting platforms are expanding and technology is evolving to meet increasing virtual demands. Audits, meetings, and conferences have made a necessary shift to limited- or no-contact options to continue to monitor and improve food safety while striving to keep people safe amid the pandemic.
