The 10 records food safety auditorsask for first
And how fast you should be able to find each one. A practical list for manufacturers preparing for an SQF, BRCGS, FSSC 22000 or retailer audit.
By Jamid Dewani, Founder, EthicalHub · 5 min read
Auditors usually start with the records that prove your food safety system runs every day: your HACCP plan and its review, CCP monitoring logs, corrective actions, supplier approval and certificates, traceability tests, allergen controls, cleaning verification, pest control, calibration and training. Having them isn’t enough. You need to find any one of them, for any date, while the auditor waits.
Auditors sample the system, not the paperwork
An auditor can’t read every record you keep. They pick a product, a date or a batch and follow it through your system. These ten records are where that trail almost always runs, whichever GFSI scheme or retailer program you’re audited against.
Each one below lists what the auditor checks, what usually goes wrong, and a retrieval target: how long it should take you to put the record in front of them. The targets are our suggestion, not a scheme rule. They’re simply what “under control” looks like on the day.
The ten records, in the order auditors usually ask
HACCP plan and its latest review
What they check: the hazard analysis, CCPs and critical limits, verified flow diagrams, and a review in the last 12 months or after any change. What goes wrong: flow diagrams that no longer match the line. Target: under 1 minute.
CCP monitoring records
What they check: a complete run of logs for a date they choose, signed by the person who did the check and verified by someone else. What goes wrong: gaps, missing verification signatures, or a month of entries in the same pen. Target: any date in under 1 minute.
Corrective action register
What they check: that every deviation and non-conformance has a root cause, an action, an owner, a due date and evidence it worked. What goes wrong: actions that say “retrained staff” and nothing else. Target: under 1 minute, filtered by open and overdue.
Approved supplier list and certificates
What they check: that the supplier of a raw material they pick is approved, and its certificate was current on the day you received the goods. What goes wrong: an expired certificate on file. Target: under 1 minute per supplier.
Traceability and mock recall records
What they check: your last mock recall, timed, with a mass balance, and often a live trace on the day. What goes wrong: goods-in records that don’t link to production batches. Target: a full trace in under 30 minutes; the last mock recall report in under 1 minute.
Allergen controls
What they check: your allergen matrix, the cross-contact risk assessment, validated changeover cleaning and label checks at each run. What goes wrong: label checks that aren’t recorded at changeover. Target: under 2 minutes.
Cleaning and sanitation verification
What they check: the cleaning schedule, signed records, and proof cleaning works, such as ATP or swab results. For ready-to-eat products, your environmental monitoring results. What goes wrong: schedules with no verification behind them. Target: under 2 minutes.
Pest control reports
What they check: the contract, site map, service reports, trend review, and whether the contractor’s recommendations were acted on. What goes wrong: recommendations sitting in reports with no follow-up. Target: under 2 minutes.
Calibration register
What they check: that the thermometer or scale in front of them is on the register and in date. What goes wrong: a probe in use that isn’t on the list. Target: under 1 minute.
Training records
What they check: that the operator they just interviewed is trained for the CCP they monitor, plus induction, hygiene and allergen training. What goes wrong: a training matrix that’s months out of date. Target: any person in under 1 minute.
Close behind: internal audits, management review, product specifications, complaints and water testing. They’re all in our free 59-point checklist.
A 15-minute retrieval test
Ask a colleague to play auditor. Give them this list and let them pick a random date and product for each item. Time how long it takes you to produce each record. Anything over the target is where an auditor will start sampling harder.
- Do it on a normal working day, not after a clean-up.
- Count the time to find the record, not just to open the folder.
- Note every record that depends on one person knowing where it is.
All ten, findable in about a minute
EthicalHub keeps your HACCP plan, CCP logs, all 18 prerequisite programs, supplier certificates with expiry alerts, and corrective actions in one place, linked to each other. When the auditor names a date or a batch, you export the records in about a minute, organised by requirement.
See it with your own records
A walkthrough built around the audit you’re preparing for.
Related guides
Food safety audit records: common questions
What records do food safety auditors ask for?
How long should it take to find a record during an audit?
Are digital records accepted by auditors?
How long do I need to keep food safety records?
Find any record in a minute.
See how EthicalHub turns ten folders into one export.