BRC Audits
BRC audits helps food businesses check safety, quality, hygiene, and site controls, while eAuditor Audits & Inspections makes each audit easier to manage. A BRC audit helps food businesses check whether their systems, processes, facilities, and records meet the requirements of the BRC Global Standard for Food Safety. It gives teams a clear way to find gaps before they become bigger problems.
For food manufacturers, a BRC audit is more than a certification exercise. It helps protect food safety, product quality, customer trust, and business reputation. A well-planned audit also helps employees understand what they need to do each day.
With eAuditor Audits & Inspections, teams can move BRC audit checks from paper forms to digital checklists. Auditors can record findings, add evidence, track corrective actions, and create reports in one workflow.
What Is a BRC Audit?
A BRC audit is a structured review of a food site’s food safety and quality systems. The audit checks whether the site has suitable controls, follows its procedures, maintains proper records, and manages risks effectively.
The audit can cover areas such as:
- Management commitment
- Food safety and quality systems
- HACCP or food safety plans
- Internal audits
- Supplier approval
- Traceability
- Site standards
- Product control
- Process control
- Personnel
- Food defence
- Food fraud prevention
- Corrective actions
- Documentation and records
The exact scope depends on the applicable BRC Global Standard and the site’s activities. Teams should always use the current standard and applicable certification requirements when preparing for an external audit.
Why Is a BRC Audit Important?
Food businesses deal with risks at every stage of production. A weak cleaning process, poor temperature control, damaged equipment, or incomplete record can affect both safety and quality.
A BRC audit helps bring these risks into view.
Regular internal BRC audits can help teams:
- Find non-conformities early
- Improve food safety controls
- Check whether procedures work in practice
- Keep records organised
- Strengthen HACCP systems
- Improve employee accountability
- Track corrective actions
- Prepare for certification audits
- Identify repeated problems
- Support continual improvement
More importantly, an audit should not end when the auditor submits a report. The real value comes from fixing problems and preventing them from returning.
What Does a BRC Audit Checklist Cover?
A useful BRC audit checklist should match the processes and risks at your site. It should also help auditors collect clear evidence instead of simply ticking boxes.
Management commitment is one important area. Teams should check whether senior management supports food safety and quality, communicates expectations, and promotes continual improvement.
The food safety plan is another major area. Auditors should review the HACCP team, hazard analysis, controls, verification, and related records.
Site standards also matter. The audit should examine the condition, cleanliness, layout, maintenance, equipment, utilities, and other physical controls that can affect food safety.
Document control, internal audits, corrective actions, supplier management, traceability, product control, and personnel practices should also form part of the audit process where applicable.
BRC Audit Site Standards: Clause 4
Site standards play a key role in a BRC audit. Clause 4 focuses on the physical site, facilities, equipment, utilities, and operational environment needed to protect food safety and product quality.
The eAuditor BRC Audit Site Standards (Clause 4) guide covers checks related to the condition and suitability of the site, contamination risks, maintenance, cleanliness, premises, equipment, and utilities. It also supports evidence collection and corrective action management.
BRC Audit Site Standards (Clause 4) – eAuditor
Using a structured checklist helps auditors inspect the same important areas each time. As a result, teams can compare findings and spot recurring site problems more easily.
BRC Audit Management Commitment: Clause 1
Strong food safety systems need active management support. The eAuditor BRC Audit Management Commitment (Clause 1) checklist checks areas such as documented food safety and quality policies, communication with staff, and continual improvement.
It also addresses the responsibility of management for maintaining the food safety system.
BRC Audit Management Commitment (Clause 1) – eAuditor
This checklist can help teams review leadership involvement before a certification audit.
BRC Audit Food Safety Plan: HACCP Clause 2
HACCP sits at the heart of food safety management. The eAuditor BRC Audit Checklist Food Safety Plan – HACCP (Clause 2) checks whether the food safety plan is developed and managed by a suitable multidisciplinary food safety team.
The template also checks team competence, HACCP knowledge, training, products, processes, and associated hazards.
BRC Audit Checklist Food Safety Plan – HACCP (Clause 2) – eAuditor
Teams can use this checklist during internal reviews to identify weaknesses in their HACCP process before an external audit.
BRC Audit Food Safety and Quality Management System: Clause 3
The eAuditor BRC Audit Food Safety & Quality Management System (Clause 3) checklist covers important management system controls.
For example, it checks whether the site has a food safety and quality manual, whether staff can access relevant procedures, and whether documents are clear and suitable for use. It also covers document control, record retention, and internal audit planning.
BRC Audit Food Safety & Quality Management System (Clause 3) – eAuditor
This makes it useful for checking whether the site’s documented system matches what employees actually do.
Other eAuditor Checklists That Can Support a BRC Audit
A single checklist may not cover every part of your food safety program. Fortunately, the eAuditor library includes other templates that can support different parts of a BRC audit.
HACCP Food Safety Checklist: This checklist covers approved food sources, sanitation, thawing, cross-contamination, food temperatures, cooking, hot holding, and other food safety controls.
HACCP Food Safety Checklist – eAuditor
Food Safety Self-Inspection Checklist: This template covers premises, storage areas, pest control, refrigeration, equipment maintenance, HACCP systems, and related checks.
Food Safety Self-Inspection Checklist – eAuditor
ISO 22000 Internal Audit Checklist: This checklist can support broader food safety management reviews, including management responsibility, HACCP, internal audits, auditor competence, audit records, and improvement.
These templates can complement a BRC audit program when their scope matches your site’s needs.
How to Prepare for a BRC Audit
Good preparation starts well before the auditor arrives.
First, review previous audit findings. Look for open corrective actions and repeated non-conformities.
Next, review your food safety plan. Confirm that the HACCP team, hazard analysis, controls, monitoring, and verification activities remain current.
Then, inspect the site. Walk through production, storage, processing, cleaning, waste, maintenance, and other relevant areas. Look for conditions that may not appear in written records.
After that, check your documentation. Make sure procedures, records, training documents, supplier information, maintenance records, and audit reports are current and easy to retrieve.
Finally, run an internal BRC audit. Give the team enough time to investigate findings rather than rushing through the checklist.
How to Conduct a BRC Audit With eAuditor
A digital BRC audit can make the inspection process more organised.
Start by selecting an appropriate BRC checklist from the eAuditor library. You can also customise a template to match your site, processes, and internal audit program.
Next, assign the audit to the right auditor or team. During the inspection, record each result directly in the digital checklist.
When you find a problem, add notes and supporting evidence. Photos can help explain site conditions, damaged equipment, hygiene issues, or other findings.
After the audit, assign corrective actions to responsible employees. Add clear deadlines so that findings do not remain open without ownership.
Managers can then review results and follow up on outstanding actions. This creates a more complete audit trail and makes the BRC audit process easier to manage.
Turn Existing BRC Checklists Into Digital Templates
Already have a BRC audit checklist in Word, Excel, PDF, or PowerPoint?
You do not necessarily need to rebuild it from scratch. eAuditor offers a Template Upload service that can convert existing checklists into customisable digital templates. The service supports PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
This option can help teams move from paper or spreadsheet-based BRC audits to a digital workflow without manually entering every question again.
Common BRC Audit Problems
Many audit problems start with simple process gaps.
One common issue is relying on old checklists. Requirements, processes, equipment, and risks can change over time.
Another problem is treating the audit as a paperwork exercise. A record may look complete while actual practices on the production floor tell a different story.
Some teams also record non-conformities without assigning clear owners. That makes follow-up difficult.
Poor evidence can create another challenge. A short comment may not explain what the auditor observed or why the finding matters.
Finally, teams sometimes close corrective actions without checking whether the solution actually worked. A strong BRC audit process should verify that the problem has been corrected and controlled.
BRC Audit Best Practices
Keep the checklist practical. Auditors should be able to understand each question without guessing what it means.
Use evidence wherever it adds value. Photos, records, measurements, observations, and documents can make findings easier to verify.
Review recurring findings. A repeated problem may point to a deeper process weakness.
Assign every important corrective action. Give each action an owner and a realistic due date.
Train auditors properly. They need to understand both the audit process and the food safety risks they are reviewing.
Update your checklist when processes change. New equipment, ingredients, suppliers, products, layouts, or procedures may create new risks.
Most of all, use audit results to improve the system. A BRC audit should help your team prevent problems, not simply prepare for the next inspection.
Why Use eAuditor for BRC Audits?
eAuditor helps teams bring checklists, inspections, findings, evidence, and corrective actions into a connected digital workflow. Its platform supports custom digital templates and mobile audits, while its library provides ready-made templates for different inspection and compliance needs.
For BRC audits, this can reduce the need for paper forms and separate spreadsheets. Auditors can capture information during the inspection, while managers can review findings and follow corrective actions more efficiently.
The result is a more consistent audit process. Teams can spend less time managing paperwork and more time improving food safety and quality.
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BRC Audit Checklist: Quick Review
Before completing your internal BRC audit, check whether you have:
- Reviewed previous audit findings
- Checked management commitment
- Reviewed the HACCP or food safety plan
- Verified internal audit schedules
- Checked document control
- Reviewed supplier controls
- Inspected site standards
- Checked hygiene and sanitation
- Reviewed pest control
- Checked equipment and maintenance
- Verified traceability procedures
- Reviewed product and process controls
- Checked staff training records
- Reviewed food defence and food fraud controls
- Recorded clear evidence for findings
- Assigned corrective actions
- Set action deadlines
- Verified completed corrective actions
Frequently Asked Questions About BRC Audit
What is a BRC audit?
A BRC audit is a structured assessment of a food business’s food safety, quality, operational, and management systems against the applicable BRC Global Standard requirements.
How often should a BRC audit be performed?
The frequency of internal audits should depend on the site’s risk, processes, previous findings, and audit program. Certification audits follow the requirements of the applicable BRC certification scheme.
What should a BRC audit checklist include?
A BRC audit checklist should cover the areas relevant to the site’s operations. These may include management commitment, HACCP, food safety and quality systems, site standards, internal audits, supplier controls, traceability, product control, process control, personnel, and corrective actions.
Can eAuditor be used for BRC audits?
Yes. eAuditor can support digital BRC audit workflows through customisable checklists, evidence capture, findings, corrective actions, and reporting. Its library also contains BRC-specific templates, including Clause 1, Clause 2, Clause 3, and Clause 4 checklists.
Does eAuditor have a BRC HACCP checklist?
Yes. The eAuditor library includes a BRC Audit Checklist Food Safety Plan – HACCP (Clause 2) that checks key elements of the site’s food safety plan and HACCP team.
Can I customise a BRC audit checklist?
Yes. eAuditor supports custom digital templates, allowing teams to adapt checklists to their processes and inspection needs. It also offers a template upload service for existing PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint checklists.
What should happen after a BRC audit?
The team should review findings, identify root causes where needed, assign corrective actions, set deadlines, and verify that actions have been completed effectively.
Final Thoughts on BRC Audit
A BRC audit works best when teams treat it as a tool for continual improvement rather than a one-time certification task. Regular internal checks can reveal weak controls before they affect food safety, quality, or customer confidence.
With the right checklist and a clear follow-up process, auditors can make each inspection more useful. eAuditor Audits & Inspections adds a digital workflow that helps teams conduct audits, capture evidence, manage findings, and track corrective actions.
For food businesses preparing for a BRC audit, starting with a structured digital checklist can make the entire process clearer, faster, and easier to manage.