Mock Recall Template for NZ Food Businesses
The simulated (mock) recall is the record most operators haven't heard of — and it's checked. MPI's National Programme 1 guidance says: “You must test your recall procedures using a likely scenario, once every 12 months” — unless a real, effective recall happened in that time (NP1 guidance, December 2025 v2). The NP2 and NP3 guidance carry the same annual expectation. Here's a free record sheet for the run.
Who needs to run a mock recall?
The simulated-recall duty was added to the National Programme guidance in the December 2025 refresh, under regulation 72A of the Food Regulations 2015 — it appears in the required-records lists for NP1, NP2 and NP3 (NP1, NP2, NP3 guidance, all December 2025 v2).
One important carve-out, in the NP1 guidance's own words: you do not need to recall food that is intended to be eaten right away — MPI's examples include a hot pie from a bakery, a coffee from a coffee cart, or a meal sold at a café. The recall duty is about food that leaves your hands and sits somewhere — a batch on shelves, drums in a store, product with another business.
How to run one
Pick a likely scenario — a supplier tells you a batch is contaminated, or a customer complaint points at a product — and trace it for real: which batch did you receive or make, when, from whom, where did it go, and how much of it could you find and pull right now? Time it. Note what you couldn't find. Then record the run on the sheet below and fix whatever slowed you down. Review the effectiveness of the run — that's what your verifier will ask about.
Simulated (mock) recall record
Print this section and file it with your records — or keep it digitally; both are valid.
| Date of mock recall | ____ / ____ / ______ |
|---|---|
| Run by (name & role) | |
| Scenario used | e.g. supplier advises batch of ______ is affected |
| Product & batch/date codes traced | |
| Received from / supplied to | |
| Quantity received / located / unaccounted for | |
| Time taken to complete the trace | |
| What worked / what didn't | |
| Improvements to make before next time | |
| Signed & dated |
Keep this record for at least 4 years (regulations 81–82, Food Regulations 2015) and have it ready for your verification visit.
Sources & review
- MPI: National Programme 1 guidance, December 2025 v2 (PDF)
- MPI: National Programme 2 guidance, December 2025 v2 (PDF)
- MPI: National Programme 3 guidance, December 2025 v2 (PDF)
- Food Regulations 2015 (reg 72A, regs 81–82)
Reviewed on 4 August 2026 by the KitchenSorted team. Regulatory pages are re-reviewed quarterly, and immediately when MPI announces template or policy changes. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
This page is general information, not legal or food-safety advice. Always confirm requirements with MPI, your registration authority, or your verifier.
Make Next Year's Mock Recall a One-Tap Record
KitchenSorted logs the run dated and attributed, with your supplier and delivery history already in one place.