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Ensure compliance with the latest BRC standards using a digital audit checklist for food safety and quality management.
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Published 24 Jun 2026
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3 min read
A BRC (British Retail Consortium) Audit is an official assessment of a food manufacturer’s adherence to Food Safety standards. Conducted by an accredited certification body, this practice thoroughly examines all processes and documents involved in the nine core areas of food manufacturing operations.
A BRC audit checklist is a tool that food manufacturing businesses can use to perform regular inspections in preparation for a certification audit. With a comprehensive audit checklist, food manufacturers can proactively spot non-conformance, determine unsafe food production methods, or identify areas for improvement and immediately correct them to comply with the current BRC standards.
The latest version of BRC, issue 9, emphasizes the importance of creating a culture of safety and striving for continuous improvement. Since each BRC clause has a specific set of requirements, they should be reflected in a BRC audit checklist. In detail, issue 9 highlights the following requirements:
Clause 1: Management Commitment – leaders of companies should help ensure the implementation and continuous improvement of food safety processes.
Clause 2: The Food Safety Plan: HACCP – implementing HACCP can help identify and manage risks in food production.
Clause 3: Food Safety and Quality Management System – proper documentation of processes in place helps manage the safety of food production and keep staff properly informed.
Clause 4: Site Standards – setting and maintaining the ideal site for food production
Clause 5: Product Control – setting controls in place, such as allergen management and product testing.
Clause 6: Process Contro l – this is ensuring that the documented HACCP plan is consistently followed to maintain product quality.
Clause 7: Personnel – ensure that employees are trained, wearing PPE, and following proper hygiene.
Clause 8: Production Risk Zones – ensure that products susceptible to pathogen contamination have control measures to improve safety.
Clause 9: Traded Products – ensure sites that purchase and sell food products properly process and pack them to avoid contamination.
Since there is a lot of information and details to take into consideration to ensure an effective BRC audit, take note of the following tips:
Prepare proper documentation and records that prove the consistent implementation of food safety management.
Review and be familiar with the latest BRC version.
Conduct internal audits in order to identify gaps and improve on them.
Get in touch with a third-party auditor who will conduct the BRC audit for certification.
Leverage new technology, such as software and digital checklists, to perform audits.
Here's an example of a completed BRC audit in PDF form:
Using SafetyCulture, they enhanced governance, gained visibility, and improved the traveller experience. The team quickly identified gaps and boosted compliance from 60% to nearly 100%.
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This is the second clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This is the third clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This is the fourth clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This is the fifth clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This is the sixth clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This is the seventh clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This is the eighth clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This is the ninth clause of the nine audit templates. This tool is designed to help you assess your operation against the requirements of the Standard and help prepare you for your certification audit. It can be used as part of your internal audit process and on it’/s own does not solely demonstrate the internal audit. Completing this template does not certify you against the standards. This should be by an external body.
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This GMP food manufacturing audit template was based on 21 CFR Part 110. This can help as a guide when conducting food manufacturing audits. Site Supervisors can use this to:
Make sure that staff are trained on sanitary procedures and that equipment used and process & controls follow GMP.
All SafetyCulture reports are secured in cloud storage and can be conveniently accessed anytime
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Use this checklist to manage food waste effectively to prevent contamination and maintain a clean, safe eating and food handling environment for both staff and customers. This checklist has been certified by HACCP International to meet their requirements.
