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Four-year Audit Cycle
Option A, the four-year audit cycle, was specifically designed to meet the Canadian government requirements for on-farm audits. This cycle is based on minimum requirements for the CHC OFFS Program to meet government recognition under the Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program (to be re-assessed after the first four-year cycle).
The random audit component provides a statistically-validated basis to maintain program rigour in the years where producers are not automatically scheduled for on-site visits. “Random” does not mean a surprise visit; it means that a grower could be randomly chosen for an audit during any of the three self-assessment years. Those who are selected for random audits will have no added costs; they will be covered by the annual program enrolment fee.
Table 1 below provides an overview of each year’s Audit Activity for participants certified to Option A of the CHC OFFS Program:
* A triggered audit would only be deemed necessary to investigate a potential food safety risk at a particular site.
These could be triggered as a follow up to an on-site visit or a self-assessment. The cost of triggered audits would be
borne by the producer/packer. Participants can avoid triggered audits by managing risks as outlined in the CHC OFFS Manual. For an overview of the cost of Option A, visit CHC's Web site. Back to main page of CHC On-Farm Food Safety Program
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Four-year Audit Cycle
Option A, the four-year audit cycle, was specifically designed to meet the Canadian government requirements for on-farm audits. This cycle is based on minimum requirements for the CHC OFFS Program to meet government recognition under the Canadian On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program (to be re-assessed after the first four-year cycle).
The random audit component provides a statistically-validated basis to maintain program rigour in the years where producers are not automatically scheduled for on-site visits. “Random” does not mean a surprise visit; it means that a grower could be randomly chosen for an audit during any of the three self-assessment years. Those who are selected for random audits will have no added costs; they will be covered by the annual program enrolment fee.
Table 1 below provides an overview of each year’s Audit Activity for participants certified to Option A of the CHC OFFS Program:
| Option A: Audit Activity | ||||
| Full Audit |
Self-Assessment
(self-declaration and completed checklist) |
Random Audit | Triggered Audit* | |
| Year 1 |
|
|||
| Year 2 |
|
Possible | Possible | |
| Year 3 |
|
Possible | Possible | |
| Year 4 |
|
Possible | Possible | |
| Year 5 | Repeat Cycle | |||
These could be triggered as a follow up to an on-site visit or a self-assessment. The cost of triggered audits would be
borne by the producer/packer. Participants can avoid triggered audits by managing risks as outlined in the CHC OFFS Manual. For an overview of the cost of Option A, visit CHC's Web site. Back to main page of CHC On-Farm Food Safety Program