Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA)

The superiority in the quality of products offered is a substantial element for every organization. Such quality standards, imposed by and over the food industry, in both the developed and developing economies are chiefly focused on the rising demands of the consumers for better quality food products. Undeniably the consumers’ safety is a priority in every organization as the sustainable survival of the organization is dependent on its consumers. And, to ensure transparency of the quality and safety of the products to its consumers, food safety audits are essential. Therefore, to get yourself recognized as a reliable placeholder in the auditing department of an organization, you must get yourself acclaimed as a Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA).

About Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA) Exam

The CFSQA program will equip you with the knowledge to inspect the commercial food manufacturing and processing plants.Subsequently, you will be made aware of the quality standards and regulations to ensure that consumers receive safe food products.

Role of a CFSQA

The Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA) has the responsibility of auditing a Food Safety and HACCP based system, wherein he/she has to check the quality of the food products against defined quality standards. The CFSQA is equipped with tools and techniques to check the system’s adequacy and screen out the shortcomings.

Exam Details

Exam Name:	Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor
Offered by:	ASQ- American Society for Quality ControlQ- American Society for Quality Control
Exam Duration:	4 hours 18 minutes – CBT 4 hours -Paper Based Test
Number of Questions:	145 (135 scored, 10 unscored)
Language:	English

Exam Prerequisites

These are the mandatory prerequisites for the CFSQA program –

Work Experience

Candidate must have at least 5-year job experience in any one or more than one area of certified food safety and quality auditor Body of Knowledge. Moreover, a minimum of 1-year of a decision-making role in the job.
The term “Decision-Making” is defined as the authority to define, execute, or control projects/processes and to be responsible for the outcome. This may or may not include management or supervisory positions.

Educational Prerequisites

The candidate must have completed a degree from a college or university accepted by the ASQ. Depending on the degree, you can get a waiver in the required 5-year work experience. The waivers are as follows –

Diploma from a technical or trade school — one year waived
Associate degree — one year waived
Bachelor’s degree — three years waived
Master’s or doctorate — four years waived

Application Process

To apply for this exam, you have to follow these steps –

Submit Applications: The first step is to submit the application. It will take up to 1-2 business days for the review of the online submission, and 4-5 days for hardcopy submissions.
ASQ Review: Once the review is finalized, you will receive a notification via email. If you meet all the requirements, then you will receive an approval mail. But if ASQ needs more clarification on some aspects, you’ll receive a ‘Hold’ mail. If you do not meet the requirements, then you will get your refund after deducting a sum of $70 as the processing charge.

Modes of Exam

The CFSQA exam is available in 2 modes. You can choose anyone based on your comfort.
a. Computer-Based Test
After your application gets approved and you receive an email for the same, you have to wait for 1-2 days. After that, you will receive an eligibility email that will provide you instructions on scheduling the exam with the testing partner Prometric.
b. Paper-Based Test
In case you go for the paper-based test, you will receive a seating letter instead of the eligibility email. It will contain the date, time, and location of the exam. You will receive this letter approximately 2 weeks before the exam.

Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA) FAQ

For more details visit the Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA) FAQ

Course Outline

The CFSQA consists of 7 main modules that cover the basic syllabus of all questions asked in the exam.

Firstly, Food Safety and HACCP System (27 questions)
Secondly, Food Safety and HACCP Management (9 questions)
Thirdly, HACCP Principles (22 questions)
Then, Implementation and Maintenance of Food Safety and HACCP System (21 questions)
Further, Auditing Fundamentals (23 questions)
Subsequently, Auditing Process and Auditor Competencies (23 questions)
And lastly, Quality Tools and Techniques (10 questions)

Validity and Recertification

The CFSQA certificate is valid for up to 3 years. After this period, the candidates must get themselves recertified by the ASQ.

Preparatory Guide: Certified Food Safety and Quality Auditor (CFSQA)

The CFSQA certification will certainly give a boost to your career, but it doesn’t come that easy. You have to put in hard work to earn the certification. Firstly, you have to fulfil the eligibility criteria for this program. Then you have to focus on clearing the exam. This can be a tough job, but with the right steps, you can get past the finish line. All you need to do is stay determined and focused on the exam. To help you with your preparations, we are providing a guide that will let plan you plan out your strategies efficiently. Follow this preparatory guide to perform better in the exam.

Step 1 – Revise the Exam Objectives

It is important to familiarize yourself with the exam objectives to kickstart your exam preparation with the right enthusiasm. Reviewing exam objectives will help you to schedule your study plan, and you will also identify the areas which you already have knowledge about and the areas you aren’t aware of. This will be your first step towards achieving your goal. Moreover, when you have a clear idea about the syllabus and topics, it will be easy for you to pick the right resources for the preparations. Following are the major topics covered under the CFSQA program –

• Firstly, Food Safety and HACCP System
• Secondly, Food Safety and HACCP Management
• Thirdly, HACCP Principles
• Then, Implementation and Maintenance of Food Safety and HACCP System
• Further, Auditing Fundamentals
• Subsequently, Auditing Process and Auditor Competencies
• And lastly, Quality Tools and Techniques

Step 2 – Study Resources

The next very important step is to collect the resources you can rely on. These have to be very authentic and accurate with the content as they will ultimately play a major role in the results. Therefore, to save yourself from any irrelevant information, it is advised to stick to the resources provided on the official site. You can use the following resources for your preparations –

• Training – Certified HACCP Auditor (CHA) Certification Preparation (Course ID – SPCHA2012ASQ)
• Book – The Certified HACCP Auditor Handbook, Third Edition

Step 3 – Join the Online Forums

While you prepare for the exam, you must check out online forums where people from the same work field share their inputs regarding the subjects and profession. It is advised to be an active participant in such discussion platforms. This will give you exposure and several viewpoints of your contemporaries. An online community can give you a deeper insight into the profession and help you efficiently comprehend the system.

Step 4 – Take Practice Tests

The preparations can be tested only with the help of a practice test. This is the best way to evaluate yourself and have an idea about where you stand with your skills and knowledge. Thus, it is advised to attempt multiple practice tests and always aim to beat your previous best score. This will keep your preparations targeted towards scoring high in the exam. Also, you should always make a note of areas of your strengths and weaknesses. Practice tests will bring out the best of your preparations and you will get familiar with the exam. Thus, it is essential to wrap up the preparations with practice tests.