The theme for World Food Safety Day 2026, "From burden to solutions – safe food everywhere", closely reflects the BRCGS mission of ‘Safe food for everyone’ that sits at the heart of our work. In food manufacturing, compliance should not be seen as an operational or administrative burden. When applied well, robust certification standards become a practical solution that supports safer, more effective operations.

Drawing on global Food Safety Issue 9 audit data from April 2025 to March 2026, the breakdown below outlines the five most frequently raised non-conformities worldwide. Reviewing these findings can help certificated sites drive continuous improvement by turning recurring compliance challenges into practical actions.

 

Housekeeping and hygiene (Clause 4.11.1)

 

  • Common issue: cleaning routines are not always robust enough for complex equipment, production pressures, or unfrequented areas that can be missed.
  • Top-level actions: set clear visual standards, assign ownership, and strengthen post-clean checks.

 

Equipment design (Clause 4.6.2)

 

  • Common issue: equipment design or modifications can introduce food safety risks.
  • Top-level actions: improve approval processes, verify food-grade suitability, and review hygienic design.

 

Chemical storage and handling (Clause 4.9.1.1)

 

  • Common issue: poor chemical control increases contamination risk.
  • Top-level actions: enforce labelling, secure storage, and maintain an approved chemical register.

 

Building fabric – walls (Clause 4.4.1)

 

  • Common issue: wall damage and degraded finishes can create hygiene risks.
  • Top-level actions: carry out regular inspections, monitor high-risk areas, and prioritise repairs.

 

Building fabric – doors (Clause 4.4.8)

 

  • Common issue: worn or damaged doors can compromise pest control and site conditions.
  • Top-level actions: include doors in preventative maintenance, inspect for gaps, and ensure effective sealing.

 

Addressing these five common non-conformities is not just about passing the next audit, it is about building a proactive and sustainable manufacturing site that aims for continuous improvement providing food safe for everyone.

 

Beyond the quick fix: structural solutions for long-term compliance

Maintaining site compliance requires a strategy that extends beyond a reactive checklist. Whilst repairing a wall joint, securing a chemical storage area, or replacing a doorway brush seal addresses an immediate deficiency, long-term compliance relies on preventing recurrence.

Improving long-term compliance requires shared ownership across the site, with Quality Assurance and Food Safety managers working alongside operational, engineering, and leadership teams. To support this broader approach, three essential strategic resources are outlined below. These frameworks help sites embed practical, long-term solutions into everyday operations.

 

Transitioning from managing symptoms to eliminating issues

Recurring non-conformities within hygiene or facility fabrication are rarely isolated occurrences, they typically indicate an underlying  problems in the site’s processes. If a site repeatedly addresses the same issues ahead of an audit, the initial corrective action plan likely failed to identify the true root cause.

Our one-day Root Cause Analysis training equips people across the site—including operations, maintenance, engineering, quality, and food safety teams—with the knowledge required to investigate issues thoroughly and implement long lasting preventative actions.

  • Key learning objectives:
    • Define and document with confidence: learn how to structure and document a rigorous, auditor-ready Root Cause Analysis (RCA) framework effectively.
    • Analytical differentiation: master the operational frameworks required to distinguish between an immediate technical deficiency and the systemic process failure.
    • Apply industry-proven methods: acquire techniques tailored specifically to food manufacturing sites.
    • Secure standard alignment: discover how to document and map preventative actions seamlessly to meet BRCGS requirements.

 

The training is available in both interactive classroom and virtual formats, delivered globally by BRCGS approved training partners (ATPS).

Learn more: https://www.brcgs.com/product/root-cause-analysis/p-1822/

 

Driving compliance through human behaviour

Even the most robust sanitation schedules and engineering procedures remain vulnerable if frontline personnel are not fully engaged. Everyday site compliance relies fundamentally on leadership, accountability, and the shared values of the workforce. When a site embraces a proactive operational culture, identifying a compromised door seal or an unlabelled chemical container becomes a site-wide responsibility rather than a task assigned solely to the Quality Assurance team.

The Food Safety Culture Excellence (FSCE) assessment is a comprehensive digital module designed to measure and benchmark a facility’s cultural maturity accurately across four core pillars: People, Process, Purpose, and Proactivity.

  • Food Safety Culture Excellence assessment benefits:
    • Identification of operational gaps: anonymous, multi-language employee surveys reveal exactly how your floor staff perceive food safety protocols versus leadership expectations.
    • Data-driven insights: provides a detailed, analytical report that pinpoints specific operational risks before they manifest as audit non-conformities.
    • Measurement of continuous improvement: benchmarks year-on-year cultural growth against global industry averages to demonstrate sustainable compliance to major retail clients.

 

To explore how this assessment can support a site's continuous improvement journey, contact our team for further insights: https://www.brcgs.com/contact-us/register-your-interest/

 

Strengthening internal audits to prevent repeat non-conformities

Ineffective internal audits are often cited by sites as the root cause to many non-conformities, not just the top 5. When internal audits are too narrow in scope, lack sufficient challenge, or fail to identify underlying weaknesses in site standards, maintenance, hygiene controls or housekeeping, sites can miss opportunities to act before issues are raised during certification audits. A well-planned internal audit programme should do more than confirm compliance on paper; it should test whether controls are working in practice and help sites identify trends, recurring weaknesses and areas requiring stronger ownership.

Our two-day Internal Auditor training is designed to give internal audit teams the confidence, structure and practical skills needed to deliver more effective audits and drive stronger site performance.

  • Key learning objectives:
    • Build auditor confidence: strengthen understanding of the roles and responsibilities of internal auditors so audits are delivered with greater consistency and credibility.
    • Plan and deliver audits with impact: develop the skills to prepare, structure and carry out internal audits that add real value to site performance.
    • Produce clear, professional audit reports: learn how to write concise, factual reports that support better decisions and stronger follow-up.
    • Drive meaningful action: build confidence in following up findings so audits lead to measurable improvement, not just closed actions.

 

Learn more: https://www.brcgs.com/product/internal-auditor-2-day/p-1857/