Food, Beverage & Hospitality · Employer knowledge

Records & verification evidence

Keep the records required by the food-safety regime that applies to your business, make them usable during verification, and turn findings into follow-up rather than paperwork alone.

Food Act record-keeping depends on the risk-based measure that applies to the business. MPI states that National Programme businesses must keep records to show they are selling safe food, register their business and receive verification. Food Control Plan businesses must follow the records and procedures required by their applicable plan. Managers should therefore use the current FCP, National Programme guidance or other applicable requirements rather than inventing one generic record set.

Verification is an independent check that the business is selling safe food and following good food-safety practices. The verifier will check topics relevant to what the business does and the plan or programme it operates under. Records should help demonstrate what actually happens in the business and support timely follow-up when something is not right.

What should a manager have in place?

Keep required evidence current and easy to retrieve, but avoid creating extra paperwork with no management purpose. Use MPI's current templates and record blanks where they fit your registered system.

Applicable recordsIdentify the records required by your current FCP, National Programme or other applicable Food Act requirements. Do not assume another business's record set applies to yours.

Day-to-day evidenceComplete required checks and records as the work happens. Where the system requires corrective action, record what went wrong and what was done about it.

Verification readinessKnow who your verifier is, when verification is due and where the relevant procedures and records can be found. Keep registration and verifier details current.

Findings & follow-upTrack verification findings and other significant food-safety issues through to completion. Where changes are made, check that the new control or process is actually working.

Manager check

Are we using the current records required by the food-safety measure that actually applies to our business?
Are required records completed at the right time and by people who understand what they are recording?
Can we retrieve the relevant food-safety records and procedures during verification without rebuilding them afterwards?
Do we know our verifier and our next verification arrangements?
Are verification findings, failed checks and significant food-safety issues assigned and followed through?
When our activities or registered system change, do we check whether the records we keep also need to change?

Step 5 · Review

Turn evidence into management action

SEE → EvidenceReview required checks, incidents, complaints, verification findings and recurring food-safety issues.

DECIDE → PriorityDecide what requires action under the applicable food-safety system and what needs management attention.

ACT → OwnershipAssign corrective action, clarify what needs to change and follow it through.

VERIFY → ImprovementCheck that significant actions were completed and that the change is working in practice.

Open Review & Improvement Dashboard →Open the Evidence & Action Register →MPI current forms & record blanks →MPI verification guidance →Return to the Manager Pathway →

NZQC provides practical educational information. It is not legal advice and does not certify that a provider is compliant. Check the official source and the requirements that apply to your service, contracts and scope.