An audit pack that shows your gaps before the auditor does
Pick your scheme and date range. EthicalHub freezes what’s on file into one signed PDF: a readiness score, a list of what’s missing, and every record behind it.
An audit pack is the set of records that proves your food safety system ran: CCP monitoring, prerequisite program (PRP) checks, supplier certificates, corrective actions, traceability and sign-offs. Auditors sample it to decide whether your plan works in practice. EthicalHub’s pack also tells you what’s missing, ranked by severity, so you fix it before audit day instead of hearing about it in the closing meeting.
The auditor asks. You answer in a minute.
See how EthicalHub turns daily checks into records you can find, and an audit pack you can hand over.
A pack an auditor can rely on
Three things make this more than a folder of exports.
Frozen at export
The pack is a point-in-time snapshot of what was on file, stamped with the freeze time. Nothing is filled in or tidied up afterwards.
Gaps listed up front
Page one lists what’s missing as Critical, Warning or Info, with clause numbers for fundamentals. You see the closing-meeting findings first.
Signed and accountable
Any accepted gap is recorded as a waiver with reason, approver and date. The pack ends with a declaration your manager signs.
What auditors ask for, and when
Every scheme and certifier runs audits a little differently. This is the usual shape of a day.
Scope and people
The auditor confirms the scope, the products and the site. They’ll ask who can answer for each area and where the records live.
Your plan and programs
Your HACCP plan, CCPs and critical limits, and the PRPs that support them. They check the plan is current and matches how you actually work.
What they see on the floor
The auditor watches the line and notes things to follow up. “Show me the cleaning record for that filler last Tuesday” is a typical request.
Proof, for specific dates
They pick dates, batches and suppliers, then ask for the matching CCP logs, PRP checks, certificates and corrective actions. This is where the clock runs.
One batch, up and down
Many audits include tracing a finished batch back to its raw material lots and suppliers. Every record in that chain has to be found and linked.
Findings
Anything you couldn’t show becomes a finding. A record you have but can’t produce counts the same as a record you don’t have.
Some audits are unannounced. SQF Edition 9 (the edition audited until Edition 10 audits begin in 2027), for example, requires one unannounced audit in each three-year certification cycle. Source: SQFI, Food Manufacturing Code Edition 9. Confirm the rules for your scheme and edition with your certifier.
The problem is finding records, not filling them in
Your team does the checks. The trouble starts when the proof is spread across five places.
Paper binders
Temperature sheets in one binder, cleaning in another, last year’s in a box. Finding one date means flicking through months of pages while the auditor waits.
Shared drives and inboxes
Supplier certificates saved as “cert_final_v2.pdf”, or still sitting in someone’s email. You can’t tell at a glance which one is current.
Spreadsheets
They hold the readings but not the story. An out-of-range result sits in one tab. The corrective action, if it was written up, sits somewhere else.
The one person who knows
Often only one person knows where everything is. If they’re sick or on leave on audit day, retrieval stalls.
Same auditor request, two very different answers
What producing the evidence looks like with scattered records, and with EthicalHub.
| The auditor asks for | Binders, drives and spreadsheets | With EthicalHub |
|---|---|---|
| CCP records for a given week | Find the right binder, then check every sheet is signed and has no blank days. | Filter by CCP and date, then export. Every entry is time-stamped and named. |
| A current certificate for every approved supplier | Search inboxes and folders, then check expiry dates one by one. | Certificates sit in the supplier vault with expiry dates, and alerts go out before they lapse. |
| What happened after an out-of-range reading | Match a spreadsheet row to a paper form, if one was filled in. | Deviations open a corrective action with root cause, owner, due date and evidence. |
| Raw material lots behind a batch | Cross-check delivery dockets against production sheets by hand. | Batch genealogy links each batch to its ingredient lots and quantities, captured at goods-in. |
| Your recall procedure, allergen matrix, culture plan | Find out it’s missing when the auditor asks. | The pack checks the mandatory documents register and lists any gap, with its clause. |
| Who stands behind these records | Chase signatures on loose pages. | Monthly sign-offs, approved waivers and a signed declaration sit in the pack. |
Thirteen sections, one PDF
Every pack follows the same order: where you stand, what’s missing, the evidence, then the sign-off.
Where you stand
- Cover: scheme, site, date range and freeze time
- Readiness score and risk level
- Score breakdown across six domains
What’s missing
- Every gap as Critical, Warning or Info
- Clause numbers, with fundamentals flagged
- Missing supplier documents named one by one
The evidence
- All 18 HACCP PRPs, status and last review
- Current HACCP plan version and approver
- CCP monitoring, deviations and corrective action
- Cold-chain log against set range
- Supplier certification register with expiry
- Calibration status by equipment
- Mass balance and batch genealogy
The sign-off
- Waivers: clause, reason, approver, date
- Signed declaration that the pack was accurate at the freeze time
Mass balance and batch genealogy fill in if you run production batches in EthicalHub. Empty sections still print, with a plain note such as “No completed batches in this period”, so the auditor can see nothing was left out.
What page one looks like on day one
This pack came from our test site before any records were added. It’s a harsh read, and that’s the point: every line is a job you can finish before the auditor arrives.
Audit-ready, always.What’s missing
| Severity | Category | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | Suppliers | Missing food safety certificate (HACCP/ISO 22000) |
| Critical | HACCP | No current HACCP plan version is attached |
| Critical | HACCP | No CCP monitoring records in this period |
| Critical | Mandatory documents | No internal audit programme (3.4, fundamental) |
| Critical | Mandatory documents | No food safety culture plan (1.1, fundamental) |
| Warning | HACCP PRPs | 18 PRPs not marked compliant |
| Warning | Mandatory documents | No recall procedure (3.11) on the register |
| Warning | Mandatory documents | No allergen matrix on the register |
| Info | Governance | No monthly sign-offs in this period |
Score breakdown
| Domain | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier COA and compliance | 0 / 25 | Critical |
| Incoming goods verification | No data | Not assessed |
| PRP programme | 0 / 20 | Critical |
| Non-conformance register | No NCRs | Not assessed |
| Facility governance | No data | Not assessed |
| DA export readiness | 4 / 20 | Critical |
- Cover and score
- What’s missing (15 findings)
- Score breakdown
- HACCP PRPs
- HACCP plan version
- CCP monitoring
- Cold-chain log (Fridge A, 3°C, set 1–5°C, pass)
- Supplier certification register
- Calibration
- Mass balance
- Batch genealogy
- Waivers on this pack
- Declaration: name, signature, date
Real export from EthicalHub’s internal test site, 28 Oct 2026, shortened for this page (6 of 15 findings omitted). No customer data. Your pack reflects your own scheme, records and date range.
From daily checks to a signed audit pack
The pack is only as good as the records behind it. EthicalHub builds them as your team works, then exports the lot in about a minute.
Log as it happens
Staff record checks on a phone or tablet. Each entry is time-stamped and named.
Close the loop
An out-of-range reading opens a corrective action. Nothing closes without sign-off.
Run a practice pack
Export a pack weeks before the audit. The “What’s missing” list becomes your to-do list, Critical items first.
Fix or waive each gap
Upload the missing document or log the record. If a gap is accepted, record a waiver with reason and approver.
Freeze the final pack
Choose your scheme and date range, then export. The pack is stamped with its freeze time and can’t be changed later.
Share with your consultant
Consultants see every client site, sign off corrective actions remotely and export audit reports. The Consultant Dashboard is free. See it for consultants
Free: 59-point Retailer Audit Readiness Checklist (PDF + Excel)
See which records an auditor would ask for, and which ones you’d struggle to find today.
Related
Audit packs: common questions
What is a food safety audit pack?
What’s in an EthicalHub audit pack?
What does “frozen” or “point-in-time snapshot” mean?
What happens if the pack shows gaps?
Which certification schemes does the pack cover?
How long does it take to export an audit pack in EthicalHub?
What evidence do food safety auditors ask for?
Does an audit pack replace my HACCP plan or certification?
Can my food safety consultant access my records?
Find your gaps before the auditor does.
See your own scheme, PRPs and supplier records turn into one signed audit pack.