The BRC Global Standards audit is one of the most demanding quality assessments a food manufacturer can face. Grade A or B can be the difference between keeping a major retail customer and losing the contract entirely. Yet many businesses still prepare for it manually — spending weeks pulling together documentation that should be maintained continuously throughout the year.
This guide covers what BRC auditors actually look for, the most common failure points, and how modern businesses are using automation to make Grade A their baseline rather than their target.
What BRC auditors are actually looking for
Beyond the technical requirements of the standard, experienced BRC auditors are evaluating two things above all else: evidence of control and evidence of culture.
Evidence of control means your documentation is current, accurate, and accessible. Your SOPs reflect what actually happens on the factory floor. Your HACCP plan is live, not a document created three years ago and never reviewed. Your NCR log shows not just that non-conformances were recorded, but that root causes were identified and corrective actions were completed and verified.
Evidence of culture means quality isn't something that happens before an audit — it's embedded in daily operations. Auditors can tell the difference between a business that lives its quality system and one that polishes it up twice a year.
The seven areas most likely to cost you marks
1. Outdated SOPs. Standard Operating Procedures that haven't been reviewed within the required timeframe are a common minor non-conformance. In a business with 50+ SOPs, keeping review dates current is genuinely hard to manage manually.
2. Incomplete HACCP records. HACCP monitoring records with gaps, incomplete corrective action logs, or CCP monitoring data that doesn't match the HACCP plan are serious findings. The record needs to tell a complete story.
3. Supplier audit backlog. Approved supplier lists with overdue audit dates, or suppliers without current certificates, are increasingly scrutinised. Auditors want to see a proactive supplier management programme, not reactive scrambling.
4. Training records. Staff training records that are incomplete, missing refresher dates, or not linked to the relevant SOPs are a perennial issue. Particularly for allergen awareness training, gaps are taken seriously.
5. Internal audit findings. If your internal audits keep finding the same issues without sustained corrective action, that's a cultural red flag. Auditors want to see a cycle of continuous improvement, not a cycle of repeated findings.
6. Customer complaint handling. Every complaint needs a documented response, root cause analysis, and corrective action. Businesses that handle complaints informally — by email or phone without proper logging — create significant gaps.
7. Change management records. Product changes, recipe modifications, new suppliers, process changes — all need to be documented and risk-assessed. Ad hoc changes without records are a common source of major non-conformances.
Building a continuous compliance system
The businesses that consistently achieve Grade A have one thing in common: they treat compliance as an ongoing operational activity, not a periodic event. Their documentation is maintained in real time. Their NCR log is updated the day an issue is found. Their supplier audits are scheduled and tracked automatically.
This is where automation changes the game. Rather than relying on individuals to remember to update records, review SOPs, or chase supplier certificates, the system does it automatically.
Automated reminders go out when SOP reviews are due. Supplier audit schedules are managed and escalated if overdue. NCR logs update automatically when corrective actions are completed and verified. HACCP monitoring data feeds directly into records without manual transcription.
The 90-day audit preparation timeline
90 days out: Run a full internal audit against the standard. Identify all findings and assign corrective actions with owners and deadlines. Don't wait until 30 days out to find out you have a systemic issue.
60 days out: Review all SOPs and confirm review dates are current. Check HACCP plan against current process — particularly if any changes have been made since the last audit. Review approved supplier list and chase any overdue certificates or audits.
30 days out: Verify all corrective actions from the internal audit are completed and evidenced. Check training records for all customer-facing and production staff. Review complaint log and confirm all complaints have complete records.
2 weeks out: Brief all department heads on current status and any remaining gaps. Ensure all documentation is accessible and organised. Confirm any outstanding supplier certificates are being chased urgently.
Audit week: With a well-maintained system, this should be calm. The documents are ready. The records are complete. The team knows the system because they use it every day.
How Vorlo helps food manufacturers achieve Grade A
Our QA & Compliance automation service builds the infrastructure that makes continuous compliance possible. Automated SOP review scheduling. Live NCR tracking with escalation workflows. Supplier audit management with automated certificate tracking. HACCP record maintenance integrated with your existing monitoring processes.
The result isn't just a better audit performance — it's a quality system that actually works as a management tool, not just an audit preparation exercise.