Glass shards and broken hard plastic are catastrophic contaminants.
At 9:00 AM, the auditor arrived. Elena Okafor was a legend in the industry—a tall, silver-haired woman who had shut down three plants in the past year. She carried a leather binder, not a tablet. And she smiled.
“Good morning. I’d like to start with the ‘top management checklist’—clause 7. Leadership and commitment.”
Maya’s heart hammered. The checklist item read: iso ts 220024 checklist top
7.1 Has top management demonstrated active involvement in the FSMS (Food Safety Management System), including resource allocation and site walkthroughs?
Leo stepped forward. “Of course. I’m hands-on.”
Elena tilted her head. “Wonderful. Show me the last three months of your documented floor tours, with follow-up actions and closure dates.” Glass shards and broken hard plastic are catastrophic
Silence.
Maya knew the truth. Leo’s “walkthroughs” were yelling at supervisors from the mezzanine. No records. No actions.
“I’ll take that as a gap,” Elena said softly, making a note. “Let’s continue.” Leo stepped forward
| Check Item | Requirement | Status | Evidence | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 7.1 | Physical separation of allergens, raw, cooked, and RTE. | | | | 7.2 | Colour-coded tools and utensils for different zones. | | | | 7.3 | Personnel flow (dirty to clean) is controlled. | | | | 7.4 | Airflow direction (positive pressure in clean zones). | | |
Pests in a packaging plant contaminate millions of units very quickly.
Below is the definitive checklist organized by the standard’s clause structure. Use this during internal audits or gap analyses.
| Clause | Typical NC | Corrective Action | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 3 | No compressed air testing | Install oil/particulate filters; test air quality quarterly. | | 5 | Use of masking tape on equipment | Prohibit temporary repairs; implement immediate weld or replace policy. | | 7 | Shared utensils for raw & RTE | Colour-code utensils (red=raw, green=RTE); retrain staff. | | 8 | No cleaning verification | Add ATP swabbing to schedule; set pass/fail limits. | | 10 | Employees eating at workstations | Designate break room; enforce via CCTV or supervisor checks. | | 12 | No mock recall in >1 year | Schedule and execute mock recall within 90 days. | | 15 | Unlocked chemical/water access | Install locks; implement key control log. |