Should You Hire Outsourced Food Safety Experts?

Running a food manufacturing facility involves a constant balancing act—maintaining food safety, ensuring quality control, meeting regulatory compliance, and keeping up with certifications, all while staying competitive in a fast-paced industry. While many businesses successfully manage these responsibilities in-house, there are certain times when bringing in an external expert can offer crucial support and a fresh perspective.

But when exactly is the “right” time to seek outside help?

This blog explores common scenarios in which turning to external food safety and quality assurance (FSQA) professionals can help ensure continuity, improve systems, and support operational goals, especially when internal teams are stretched thin or navigating unfamiliar territory.

1. When Internal Staff Are Unavailable or Overextended

Temporary absences in key FSQA roles—whether due to maternity leave, illness, vacation, or unfilled vacancies—can quickly create bottlenecks. Even short-term absences can delay audits, interrupt supplier verifications, or leave food safety plans unmanaged.

• In these instances, bringing in a temporary FSQA professional ensures critical work continues uninterrupted. These professionals can serve as interim FSQA managers or supervisors, either on-site or remotely, depending on your facility’s needs. By filling the gap, they help maintain stability during transitions, protect compliance, and prevent loss of momentum on essential projects.

Additionally, if your current team is overextended—perhaps due to new product development, upcoming audits, or regulatory changes—external consultants can provide bandwidth, allowing your in-house team to stay focused on core priorities.

2. When You Need Specialized Expertise

Some food safety challenges require specialized knowledge that isn’t readily available in-house. This could include:

• Developing or updating HACCP and food safety plans
  
  
• Conducting vulnerability assessments (VACCP/TACCP/Food Fraud)
  
  
• Supporting FSMA compliance
  
  
• Preparing for third-party certifications such as BRCGS, SQF, FSSC 22000, IFS, and more. 

Rather than investing in long-term hiring or intensive training, many companies choose to bring in outsourced food safety experts with deep experience in these areas.. These professionals can help interpret and apply complex regulations, design practical and compliant systems, and offer guidance on industry best practices. Bringing in this type of targeted knowledge is especially beneficial when facing high-stakes challenges such as FDA inspections, new labeling requirements, or the need for precise allergen management protocols.

3. When Objectivity Matters

Sometimes, the most significant risks are the ones you don’t see.

In-house teams—particularly those who have worked in the same facility for years—can develop blind spots or become too close to daily operations to view them critically. External FSQA consultants provide an independent perspective that can be valuable for:

• Conducting internal audits or gap analyses before regulatory or third-party audits
  
  
• Evaluating current food safety and quality systems

These outside professionals aren’t bound by internal dynamics or organizational assumptions. Their fresh, unbiased viewpoint allows them to spot vulnerabilities, streamline outdated procedures, and ensure your systems reflect the latest standards and expectations.

4. During Periods of Growth or Organizational Change

Business transformations often present complex implications for food safety. Whether your company is expanding production, acquiring new suppliers, entering new markets, or launching a new product line, these changes demand strategic planning and system-wide FSQA integration.

External consultants can help manage the transition by:

• Assessing new supplier capabilities and food safety compliance
  
  
• Supporting scale-up efforts while maintaining safety and quality
  
  
• Designing supplier assurance and traceability programs
  
  
• Advising on regulatory and labeling requirements in new markets

During periods of change, time and resources are often stretched to their limits. A temporary FSQA partner can ease the burden, ensure compliance isn't compromised, and support your internal team in adapting to new demands.

5. To Prepare for or Respond to Audits and Inspections

Third-party audits, certification reviews, and regulatory inspections are a routine part of life in food manufacturing—but that doesn’t make them any less stressful or resource-intensive.

External support can help before, during, and after these events by:

• Conducting mock audits to identify gaps
  
  
• Providing on-site support during audits
  
  
• Helping close non-conformities with corrective action plans
  
  
• Facilitating audit readiness for new or changing certification standards

This kind of assistance can be particularly helpful for companies preparing for their first certification or trying to upgrade to a more rigorous standard.

6. For Small and Growing Businesses

Hiring a full-time FSQA manager isn’t always feasible for startups or small-to-mid-sized companies, but that doesn’t reduce their responsibility for compliance and food safety.

In these cases, outsourcing specific FSQA functions—such as audit management, documentation, supplier verification, or even full system oversight—can be a cost-effective alternative. It allows smaller businesses to access the same level of expertise and rigor as larger manufacturers, without the overhead of a full-time team.

Moreover, as a business grows, so do its regulatory obligations and operational complexity. Bringing in an external consultant early can help set a strong foundation and prevent the need for costly corrections down the line.

7. When You Want to Build a Strong Food Safety Culture

Achieving compliance is one thing—building a proactive, employee-led food safety culture is another. That kind of culture doesn’t happen by accident; it requires training, engagement, and ongoing reinforcement.

External professionals can provide:

• Tailored employee training on HACCP, GMPs, and food safety culture
  
  
• Workshops for cross-functional teams or suppliers
  
  
• Coaching for frontline supervisors or new FSQA personnel

This external training can be especially impactful when you’re trying to drive cultural change, onboard new teams, or recover from a food safety incident.

Strategic Support for FSQA Success

Bringing in an outside FSQA professional doesn’t mean your internal team isn’t capable. It’s often a sign of strategic foresight. Whether you’re dealing with temporary staffing gaps, gearing up for growth, or tackling a high-stakes audit, external experts can provide the skills, objectivity, and flexibility needed to stay compliant and competitive.

Ultimately, the right time to seek outside help is when doing so enhances your team’s ability to maintain safe, high-quality operations—without burning out your staff or compromising standards.

Let Mérieux NutriSciences help you stay audit-ready, compliant, and confident. Whether you're facing staff shortages, scaling operations, or preparing for certification, our expert FSQA consultants offer the support, objectivity, and technical depth you need—exactly when you need it. Partner with us to protect your brand and build lasting food safety success with our Consulting and Outsourced Expert services.