I used to think food safety auditing was all about checking documents…
Until the last two weeks threw me into a real-world case no SOP could explain.
A client raised a complaint!
“What we received doesn’t match what we paid for.”
They even sent a photo ,the product on the scale. Underweight.
Now, imagine ordering a kilo of sugar and opening it to find only 800 grams.
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That’s how they felt.
So we started digging:
• The processor’s records showed the correct weight left the facility.
• The delivery company’s log matched that exactly.
So where did the missing weight go?
As a food safety professional, my mind immediately went to food fraud , but not the kind we usually think of.
No one had adulterated the food.
But somewhere between dispatch and delivery, value was lost.
And as per ISO 22000 and TACCP, fraud isn’t just about chemicals or counterfeit labels , it includes substitution, misrepresentation, or loss of product, especially when it affects the customer.
The challenge? The processor outsources delivery , meaning their goods travel with other clients’ items.
Anything could happen in that shared space if controls aren’t watertight.
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So, I traced the chain.
Every paper trail. Every process. Every assumption.
And this Saturday, I picked up a fresh batch and personally delivered it to the client.
Not just to resolve the issue but to take accountability.
Not for the mistake, but for the trust.
Because trust is what we protect in food safety.
It also made us rethink how we design controls in the last mile.
Sometimes, even the best systems fail outside the factory gate.
At Atenfields Kenya, we don’t just audit.
We walk with clients through their toughest moments , because that’s when real food safety shows up.
Have you ever dealt with a customer complaint that exposed a hidden gap in your system?
Let’s talk. These are the stories that help us all grow.
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