Food Control Plan Verification Checklist
A printable self-check to run in the week before your verification visit. Many operators search for a “food safety audit checklist” — in New Zealand the external check on a Food Control Plan or National Programme business is called verification, carried out by your council or an MPI-recognised verifier. This checklist covers what they'll want to see, so nothing surfaces for the first time on the day.
What does a verifier actually check?
Two things, mainly: your records and your understanding. Per MPI's Getting your food business verified page, verification is carried out by local councils (for single-region Simply Safe & Suitable businesses selling mainly direct to consumers) or by MPI-recognised agencies and verifiers. As Central Otago District Council describes the visit: it includes “viewing any records that are required to be kept” and asking questions to find out whether you and your staff understand your plan's requirements. Afterwards you receive a written report with the outcome and any corrective actions.
The outcome matters beyond the day itself: under regulation 90 of the Food Regulations 2015, acceptable results can stretch a Food Control Plan business's visits out to every 18 months, while unacceptable results push them as close together as every 3 months — each visit billed at your verifier's rates. Being organised doesn't guarantee any outcome, but it makes the records review faster and your side of the conversation easier. More detail in our verification frequency guide.
Pre-verification self-check
Work through it a week out — that leaves time to fix gaps rather than explain them.
Verification self-check — Visit date: ____________ Verifier: ____________
| Check | What good looks like | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current plan version | You're working from the current template — v39-00005 if you use Simply Safe & Suitable — and the plan is on site and accessible | ☐ | |
| Records for the period | Daily temperature, delivery, maintenance and other required records available for the whole period since your last visit — no missing weeks | ☐ | |
| Corrective actions closed out | Every out-of-range reading or when-something-goes-wrong entry shows what happened, the fix, and prevention — nothing left open | ☐ | |
| Training records | Current for every staff member: who, date, what was covered, signed | ☐ | |
| Thermometer calibration | Your own thermometer calibration done and noted under equipment maintenance | ☐ | |
| Supplier records | Trusted supplier list current; delivery records show supplier, food type and quantity, temperature at receipt where applicable | ☐ | |
| Sickness log | Up to date — who was sick, and when | ☐ | |
| 4-year retention | Records going back 4 years are intact and findable (regs 36 & 81, Food Regulations 2015) | ☐ |
A self-check helps you arrive organised; it can't guarantee any particular verification outcome — that's always the verifier's call on the day.
How to use this checklist
- Run it a week before the visit. Gaps found early are fixable; gaps found on the day become corrective actions in the report.
- Pull the actual records, don't assume. Open the binder (or the app) and check the period since your last visit for missing days — that's exactly what the verifier will do.
- Brief the team. Verifiers ask staff questions too. Anyone on shift should be able to say what they check, where it's recorded, and what they do when something's out of range.
- Confirm retention. Records must be kept at least 4 years and be available when your verifier or MPI asks — our retention guide covers what that means in practice for paper and digital.
The fast way to arrive organised
If your records live in KitchenSorted, most of this checklist assembles itself: the verification pack collects every record for the period your verifier asks about into one dated PDF — temperatures, deliveries, training, corrective actions — in one click. Verification packs, reminders and 4 years of history live in the paid plan; your free-plan records are never deleted and unlock when you upgrade.
More printable sheets in our templates library, including the temperature log that feeds half of this checklist.
Sources & review
- MPI: Getting your food business verified
- Central Otago District Council: Getting verified (what the visit involves)
- MPI: Steps to a Simply Safe and Suitable template Food Control Plan (current version v39-00005)
- Food Regulations 2015 (regs 36, 81, 90)
Reviewed on 2 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.
Walk Into Verification Organised
Keep the daily records free in KitchenSorted — and when the visit is booked, the verification pack assembles them in one click.