Staying competitive and providing a safe product that meets customer expectations and regulatory requirements are goals of any manufacturing business. Gone are the days when the only goal was to provide a product. Customers and regulatory agencies require more. Verification and validation are tools used in the food industry to meet these goals. A combination of veri?cation and validation activities will help ensure that established programs are correct, effective, and carried out correctly. And, these documented activities will be used to con?dently respond to the challenge to “Prove It!”
It's important to know what to do with the results of an internal veri?cation and validation audit. If results demonstrate program compliance and effectiveness, then it is successful and program support should continue. For results that demonstrate noncompliance or ineffectiveness, corrective action must be taken. For veri?cation, the important question to ask is “Why are the established procedures not followed?” Audit results should be used, not abused. Remember, in most cases it is a system problem, not a people problem. The food safety team may ask the following questions:
- What can be done to improve the chances for compliance to the program?
- Does the program need to change?
- Is additional training required?
- Are additional resources (time, tools) needed?
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