“We’ll fail an audit because our documentation is messy”
Why poor document control is one of the most common audit failures
A lot of audit non-conformances aren’t about “unsafe food”.
They’re about weak control.
Missing documents, outdated specs, incomplete records, unclear responsibilities - these all signal that food safety might not be managed consistently.
This can come up with:
· BRCGS / IFS audits (document control is a core expectation)
· Customer/retailer audits (they’ll ask for specific evidence on the spot)
· FSA / Local Authority inspections (especially after a complaint, food poisoning allegation, or allergen incident)
Example:
An auditor asks for:
current finished product spec
allergen matrix
latest label approval
supplier approval status
most recent micro results
…and it takes 2 hours and 4 people to find them.
That’s not a great day.
Click-PLM helps by standardising documentation and ensuring required fields, reviews, and approvals are built into the process - not reliant on memory.
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