BRCGS Issue 9 unannounced audit: a readiness checklist
Everything you need to walk an unannounced BRCGS Issue 9 auditor through the gate with confidence — from documentation to floor-readiness.
Why unannounced is different
Unannounced audits are designed to assess your true operating state. There is no script, no rehearsal, and the auditor will arrive when it suits them — not you. The only way to pass is to operate audit-ready every day.
The 7 readiness areas
1. Documentation: every controlled document in version control, every record signed off the same day.
2. Traceability: a fresh test in the last 90 days, reconciled to within 1%.
3. HACCP: validated within the last 12 months, reviewed after every change.
4. Internal audit: rolling programme with closed-out non-conformances.
5. Hygiene: master cleaning schedule current, swabs trended, deep cleans completed.
6. Foreign-body control: glass and hard plastic register up to date, knife and blade controls visible.
7. People: every operator able to explain the CCP they monitor.
How to embed it
Build a daily senior-management 'walk and talk' that mirrors the BRCGS audit route. If anything would surprise an auditor, it should already be a corrective action.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice do BRCGS unannounced auditors give?+
Effectively none for the audit itself, though the audit window is agreed in advance. The auditor arrives within that window.
Author
TFCG Editorial Team
Food safety practitioners
- Chartered CIEH members
- BRCGS Approved Trainers
- Lead Auditors
Chartered food safety practitioners and former technical managers with hands-on UK manufacturing, catering and retail experience. Every article is technically reviewed before publication.
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