Quality Assurance(QA)
Definition
A systematic approach to ensuring food products consistently meet specified quality standards, encompassing raw material checks, in-process monitoring, and finished product testing.
Regulatory Source
- Standard 3.2.1— Food safety programs — QA systems underpin the verification and corrective action requirements of an HACCP-based food safety program
- Standard 3.2.2— Food safety practices — food businesses must implement systematic controls to ensure safe food production
Last verified against current standards: April 2026
Regulatory authority: Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ)
Related Terms
Food Safety Program
A documented system based on HACCP principles that identifies food safety hazards and establishes controls to manage them, required for most food businesses in Australia.
Good Manufacturing Practice
GMP — a system of processes, procedures, and documentation that ensures food products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality and safety standards.
HACCP
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — a systematic preventive approach to food safety that identifies physical, chemical, and biological hazards in production processes and designs measures to reduce them to safe levels.