PREVRA BRC Audit Checklist: Prepare for Your BRC Global Standard Audit
A comprehensive preparation checklist for the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety. Covers the key requirements of Issue 9, common non-conformances, and evidence gathering.
Why BRC audit preparation matters for your food manufacturing business
The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is a GFSI-benchmarked certification required by most UK retailers and food service operators before they will list your products. An audit failure means you cannot supply major supermarkets, and a major non-conformance can trigger an unannounced re-audit within 28 days — a costly and stressful process. The BRC standard covers far more than HACCP: it encompasses senior management commitment, food safety culture, supplier management, and site security.
Counter-intuitively, the most common reason for BRC audit failure is not a food safety breach but poor documentation management. Auditors report that version control of procedures, incomplete records, and missing signatures account for more non-conformances than any other category. You can have a spotless factory and still fail on paperwork.
Using this checklist to prepare for your BRC third-party audit
Start using this checklist at least three months before your audit date. Work through each section systematically and do not leave document collation until the final week. Key areas to address: senior management commitment and documented food safety culture programme, HACCP plan review and validation, documented prerequisite programmes, internal audit schedule with evidence of closure, supplier approval records, and traceability test results.
Digital SFBB provides the document control and record management that BRC auditors expect. Version-controlled procedures, timestamped records with user identification, and a complete audit trail reduce the risk of documentation-related non-conformances dramatically.
Common BRC audit failures that catch manufacturers off guard
Failing to demonstrate a genuine food safety culture — not just a policy statement — is a growing focus of BRC Issue 9. Auditors interview shop floor staff, not just managers, to assess whether food safety culture is lived or just documented. Another common pitfall is the traceability exercise: you must be able to trace a raw material to finished product and back within four hours. Many sites fail this because their records are split across different systems. Finally, glass and brittle plastic registers are frequently incomplete — every item in every room must be accounted for, and missing items must trigger an investigation.
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