Abstract:

Conformity assessment as defined in the ISO/IEC 17000 standard shows that the specified requirements for the product, process, system, person or entity have been met. A special type of conformity assessment is certification, in which the assessment is carried out by independent organizations, which has been confirmed by an accreditation body. The current crisis related to the development of the COVID-19 global pandemic has forced many organizations to change traditional forms of operation and, where it was possible, switch to a remote mode of work within auditing processes.

The need to adapt to the new realities has not bypassed the certification bodies and food producers, which had to adapt to the emergency situation, using the possibilities of remote work, including remote audits as part of certification processes. The purpose of this publication is to indicate the context of the operation of both certification bodies as well as food producers in relation to the remote auditing and certification process and the impact of such proceedings on the confidence in the results of their work, and to indicate changes in the way certification audits are carried out by certification bodies.