Audit a spice grinding factory by checking its documents, raw material control, the grinding line, hygiene and foreign body controls, testing and traceability. A useful audit happens on the floor during production, not in the office.
Book the visit for a day when your type of product is running. An idle plant shows you very little.
Before the visit
The general structure of a supplier visit is set out in what a factory audit should contain. For a grinding unit, start by collecting these.
- Ask for copies of the FSSAI licence, Spices Board CRES, and any BRCGS, FSSC 22000, organic, halal or kosher certificates.
- Ask for the HACCP plan and process flow diagram.
- Ask for recent third-party lab reports on the products you want.
- Ask for a list of products made on the same lines, to judge allergen and taint risk.
On the floor
- Raw material store: bags on pallets and off walls, lot labels on every stack, pest control points, and organic or allergen stock kept apart.
- Cleaning: sieves, de-stoners and colour sorters for whole spice before grinding. A plant that grinds uncleaned spice will ship sand.
- Grinding: the type of mill, how heat is controlled, and how often screens are changed.
- Sieving and magnets after grinding, with inspection logs.
- Metal detection on the finished product, tested in front of you.
- Sterilisation, if offered: is the steam plant on site and running, or is the work sent out?
- Packing area: clean, enclosed, with hairnets, dedicated clothing, no loose jewellery and a glass and hard plastic policy.
- Cross-contact: chilli dust, mustard and celery handled with separation and cleaning records.
- Anything that does not belong. Colours, starches or cheap fillers in the store need an explanation.
Testing and traceability
- In-house lab: at least moisture, ash and particle size, with calibrated equipment.
- External testing at an accredited lab, with original reports you can verify.
- Retained samples for each lot, labelled and stored properly.
- A trace test: pick a finished lot and ask the plant to show its raw material lots, purchase records and test results.
- A complaints log, with causes and corrective actions recorded.
Red flags
- Ready powder bought in from other units and repacked. That makes the supplier a trader, as covered in trader or processor.
- Records that look freshly written, or none at all.
- Areas you are not allowed to see.
- Damp walls, open windows over product, or signs of pests.
- Reluctance to accept a sealed sample drawn by you.
How we help
We audit grinding units in person, photograph what we find and share the factory name and full report with you. We also draw sealed samples for NABL lab testing. Start with a free sourcing review.