CERTIFIED FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY AUDITOR CFSQA
WHY BECOME A CERTIFIED
FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY AUDITOR?
As a Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA) you will understand the standards and
principles of auditing a Food Safety and HACCP-based (or process-safety) system. A CFSQA uses
various tools and techniques to examine, question, evaluate, and report on that system’s adequacies
and deficiencies. The CFSQA analyzes all elements of the system and reports on how well it adheres
to the criteria for management and control of process safety.
What Are the Core Competencies of a CFSQA?
• A thorough understanding of the product safety • Will be able to verify, document, and communicate
aspects of Food Safety and HACCP. audit results, develop an audit report, and evaluate
the effectiveness of corrective action/follow-up.
• A thorough understanding of management techniques
as they relate to Food Safety and HACCP plan • Will have thorough knowledge of the interpersonal
development, including assembling teams. skills needed to resolve conflict, conduct interviews,
and make presentations effectively, and will be able to
• Will have comprehensive knowledge of Food Safety
work on teams as a participant, leader, and facilitator.
and HACCP terminology and its seven principles.
• Will recognize how quality principles relate to business
• Will be able to assess a Food Safety and HACCP
processes and be able to explain the importance of
plan, evaluate its effectiveness, and verify that it has
aligning the audit function to the organization.
been deployed, is being maintained, and is current.
• Will be able to select and use a wide variety of
• Will be able to plan, develop, communicate, and
quality and auditing tools and techniques in a variety
execute an audit effectively within a defined scope,
of situations.
including resource scheduling, conducting meetings
necessary to the performance of the audit, and using
appropriate auditing techniques.
What Is the Value to Your Company? What Is the Value to You?
• Through analysis of hazards and where they • CFSQPs (previously CHAs) with a job title of auditor
can occur, systems, and procedures can be make almost $20k more per year than those
implemented to minimize the risk of failure. without the certification (national average).*
*Please see the current Quality Progress Salary Survey at:
[Link]/qualityprogress/ under Tools and Resources.
CERTIFIED FOOD SAFETY AND QUALITY AUDITOR CFSQA
Qualifications and CFSQA Learning Resources and Certification
Requirements for CFSQA Certification Preparation
Candidates must have five years of on-the-job • CFSQA Certification Preparation Training (on-site and online
experience in one or more of the areas of the ASQ learning)
Body of Knowledge.
• The Certified HACCP Auditor Handbook, Third Edition
• Quality Audits for Improved Performance, Third Edition
Education
Candidates who have completed a degree from a
college, university, or technical school can waive Recertification Required?
some part of the five-year experience requirement as Yes, every three years.
follows (only one of these waivers may be claimed):
• Associate’s degree—one year waived How to Enroll for Certification
• Bachelor’s degree—three years waived Visit [Link]/cert
• Master’s or doctorate degree—four years
waived
MARKETPLACE INFORMATION
COMMON JOB FUNCTIONS COMMON INDUSTRIES
Consultant Agriculture
Food Quality Auditor Food
Food Safety Auditor Government
HACCP Auditor Manufacturing
Quality Assurance Manager Service
Quality Assurance Supervisor
Key Market Trends
• The food market is expected to bring
in revenue by 2020 of $3.03 trillion,
registering a compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 4.5% from 2015 to 2020.
• With the increase in demand and global
growth, job prospects for CFSQAs are also
increasing. CFSQAs are needed to examine
organizations’ Food Safety and HACCP
plans and check that they are both complete
and used effectively for food safety.
• The field’s pay ranges greatly, particularly if
you become a CSFQA.
