6. Audit team’s on-site visits

The audit team, which is made up of the appointed reporter and expert, is responsible for reviewing files submitted by applicants from a practical point of view. To do so, the team shall visit the site where the applicants’ operations are conducted in order to meet a cross-section of members of the applicant organization, visit the facilities, and interview the applicants’ official representatives and any other individuals it considers necessary. The team may draw upon external scientific expertise. Team members shall not:

• Provide advice to members of the applicant organization;
• Meet with the appointed certification body or bodies, which will be assessed by the CARTV’s “Approval of Certifying Bodies” department;

Before the audit team visits, it shall receive the complete application file from the SC Secretariat, including the confidential part, if applicable. This file may be supplemented, if applicable, by any regulations or policies adopted by the Board.

After the visit, the audit team shall draft an expert report, which assesses the level of agreement among the requirements applicable to the designation category being applied for, the information obtained, and the applicant organization’s responses to requests that were sent to them. In particular, this report shall include comments on the following:

• Compliance with professional practices;
• Relevant, objective, measurable certified characteristics;
• The quality plan’s effectiveness compared with the applicant’s objectives; the methods described must make it possible to obtain the product exactly as described;
• The difference between the certified product and an ordinary product;
• If applicable, sensory analysis data provided in the file;
• The product’s traditional characteristics, if this is a requirement for the particular designation category being applied for;
• The applicant’s proposed labelling model.

Where applicable, the report shall mention requests for additional information or improvements that the applicant organization must fulfil.

The audit team’s expert report shall be sent to the Committee’s Secretariat not later than 15 days after the visit. The SC Secretariat then shall forward this report to the applicant, which is informed, if applicable, of requests that it must fulfil.

The applicant shall send its responses to the SC Secretariat not later than one month after it receives the audit team’s report; the committee cannot review the file without the response document.

The applicant’s responses are sent to the audit team members. Where appropriate, the audit team comments on the applicant’s responses within 15 days. These comments are sent to the SC Secretariat, which completes the expert report and then forwards it to the SC members.