Audits performed within the Veggies From Mexico community, by means of Eleven Rivers, are based on worldwide accepted methodologies. With these, we are not only evaluating that companies belonging to the community are performing the best practices in areas such as food safety and social responsibility, but also that Eleven Rivers is doing it in a more reliable manner.

Such is the case of the opening meeting displayed in the picture, being held on Del Campo y Asociados, and executed as stated on item 6.4.2 of ISO 19011: 2011.

Mostly, this meeting explains the scope of the audit, that is, the areas to be evaluated, the type of evidence the auditor will request and the staff subject to the audit. It is at this time when the confirmation that all the parties agree with this audit plan is reached.

During the meeting, the audit team is introduced. On Eleven Rivers audits, an auditor is regularly introduced, but the rule allows that the team is made up by various specialists in each area of interest to evaluate, as well as staff in training or auditors joining staff, known as “shadow auditors”, due to the fact that they are unable to interfere in the evaluation.

Another purpose of this meeting is to ensure that all auditing activities planned are able to be performed. That is, that there is enough staff to conduct interviews in a shelter, or that there are harvest activities in the production unit under the scope of it.

The meeting must be ideally attended by the senior management of the company; however, depending on the nature of it (that is, internal audits), the managers of the processes to be audited may be responsible for attending this meeting.