PREVRA HACCP Audit Guide: How to Audit Your Own HACCP System Before the EHO Does
A practical guide to conducting internal HACCP audits in UK food businesses. Covers documentation review, CCP verification, record inspection, and the seven principles every auditor checks.
Why internal HACCP audits matter for compliance and continuous improvement
HACCP principle six requires verification — procedures to confirm the HACCP system is working effectively. An internal audit is the primary verification tool. Without it, you may not discover that a CCP has drifted out of control, a monitoring record has been falsified, or a new hazard has been introduced by a menu change until an EHO or an incident reveals it.
Counter-intuitively, the most valuable finding in an internal HACCP audit is not perfect compliance — it is a near-miss. An audit that finds nothing wrong probably did not look hard enough. The purpose is to find weaknesses before they become failures, and a culture that treats audit findings as learning opportunities rather than blame opportunities gets materially safer over time.
Conducting a thorough HACCP audit
Begin with a desktop review: is the scope still accurate, the flow diagram current, the hazard analysis comprehensive? Then move to the operational floor: observe CCP monitoring in real time, check that critical limits are being met, review corrective action logs for completeness, and verify that monitoring equipment is calibrated. Interview staff — do they understand why they are taking that temperature, or are they just writing a number?
Document every finding with objective evidence. A finding is not 'cleaning needs improving' — it is 'three of twelve daily cleaning records in the raw meat area were missing signatures during the week commencing 12th July.' Digital SFBB gives you an audit trail that links findings to corrective actions with due dates and closure verification.
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